How to Train Your Dragon 1
by The Green Seer
Summary: Having been returned to their homes, it is now only a matter of time until peace between Vikings and Dragons is achieved. At least... that's what it was supposed to be. Hiccup has always known there was someone out there who hated him. - Sequel to 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'
1. Counter Attack

**Hello, everyone! This is the long awaited sequel to 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'! Uninspired title is still uninspired. I am still amazed at how well-received that story was and I hope you will like this one as well. Although I still need to edit the mess down the line… **

**For the readers who asked me about 'The Hidden World'… so far I have no plans regarding that movie. To be honest, it was a good movie, but I had to put it as my least favorite of the trilogy. For a wild second I was thinking of taking this into full AU territory and continue with the TV show but… I do have a bad record of losing motivation. I'm hoping that by posting this I will get my creative juices flowing again.**

**2020 will be a crazy, nerve-racking year for me so I don't know if this story will be finished by the end of it. I do not know when the second chapter will be up, hopefully soon, I need to look it over and add some stuff that I stupidly forgot about the first fifty times I edited it.**

**I hope you will all have a wonderful new year and happy belated holidays!**

**(And I apologize for the wait. I wanted to put this before the end of the year but I was lazy.)**

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**Chapter 1: Counter Attack**

Hiccup woke up with a start. He took several moments and several deep breaths, standing still in his bed as his eyes slowly focused on the dark wood of the ceiling. When the foggy veil of sleep finally scattered and the realization eventually hit him, his eyes widened.

He was in his room. In his house. Back on Berk.

He blinked for a while, fresh memories of being in that white room and watching along with the entire population of the village their future, five years from now, swimming in his head in dizzying circles. It felt unbelievable, too fantastic to be true and definitely dream like.

While Hiccup was quite a realistic person, he couldn't deny his wild imagination. All those war machines that made the tribe call him crazy had to have come from some bizarre fantasy. This wasn't any different. It was a dream, just a wacky thing. Nothing to be concerned about. So, with shaky breaths, Hiccup pushed himself off the bed taking a second to check his left leg.

A very bizarre fantasy indeed…

He didn't know why he paused and stared at his foot. The images came back to him and he nearly slapped himself because why did he feel like there was something missing there? Why was he expecting a prosthetic he never had and never would have? It was preposterous! All that came from his mind; a bottomless desire of fitting in or in this case, of making the village fit with _him_!

As the remnants of sleep faded away, Hiccup could feel his awareness coming back. He shook his head and walked to his dresser, going through the mundane routine of changing clothes and then the morning wash. The house was silent and Hiccup didn't have to see, to know that his father was gone already, off doing chiefly stuff that he had no business with.

Descending the abrupt stair, he rummaged through the cupboards for a light breakfast. As much as he tried, the dream was still so vivid and fresh in his mind. It was a very nice and twisty 'what if'. The more he thought about it the more he realized that he would have liked to live in such a world. Naturally, the thought that he wasn't a useless waste of space helped in that regard.

But even so, it made him question things that probably shouldn't be questioned. He knew deep down that because it was a dream everything was made up so the facts had no connection with the reality. It was sort of like a chance for him to do _something_ worthwhile since really, there was no way for him to become anything right now.

He groaned and burrowed his head in his hands pushing away his meal. His head felt so heavy with thinking that for the first time in his life he wished he wasn't that smart or curious. He needed something to take his attention away. The hearth was still warm but the house was beginning to cool. He supposed he could go in the forest and find some wood. They needed to restock and maybe he could get some fresh air and clear his mind a bit. A few hours of mindless work in the forge wouldn't hurt either.

Before Hiccup even got up there was an urgent knocking on his door. And then it was banging.

For a second he pondered the safety of answering. Gobber usually invited himself in, and the villagers respected the Chief too much to dare raise the noise to such a level. They might be rude and direct but they still had their own type of manners.

When the banging didn't stop, he willed himself to get it over with. The worst he would get was a glare for stalling.

So, Hiccup calmly walked to the door, threw it open and saw… Astrid punching Snotlout in the face. Well… that was something he wouldn't mind seeing every day. He didn't even notice that he was smiling until Fishlegs pointed out next to him.

"I know, I was wondering when she would snap."

The bulkier blonde's voice halted his train process and that's when Hiccup realized that the twins were also present and currently throwing in jabs and ideas on what Astrid should do next to his cousin.

"Uh… wh-what are you guys doing here?" He finally stammered.

Tuffnut was suddenly in his face and Hiccup, in desperate need to regain his personal space, stepped back in his house. "You don't remember?" He spun around to yell at the other kids. "He doesn't remember! Looks like we're going with my plan to release the dragons and let them blow up stuff in the village."

He and his sister banged helmets cackling evilly all the while. Fishlegs was scared and looked like he was going to be sick. Snotlout was still nursing his bleeding nose and seemed a bit dizzy and Astrid placed her hands on her thin hips and watched them all as if they were idiots. Which they were, to be frank.

She finally shoved the blond male twin out of the way and faced Hiccup. "Last night we saw our tribe five years in the future, living in peace with the dragons, going at war with Drago Bludvist, meeting your supposedly dead mother, watching your father uh die, and you saving the village and being titled the new Chief." She declared in one breath. "Am I missing something?"

"Just the part when my mind broke." Hiccup said in a very concerning calm manner. Astrid of all people was actually giving him a worried look. "I'll meet you in the forest in a bit."

He vaguely thought that he hadn't mentioned where in the forest they were meeting but he was in no state of mind to _care_. He was standing and staring dumbly at the closed door and all he could think was _'it was real'_ and _'what the Hel is going on'_. And then his mind broke again because _his father died_! Was _going_ to die!

He was panicking all over again. He was remembering the scene all too well; the Night Fury, _Toothless_… Oh Gods, Toothless! Where was he? With the Queen? They were back in their own time but only he and other teens remembered anything! His father left the house like it was a normal day, nothing out of the ordinary but for Hiccup everything was spinning out of control.

What was he going to do? What could he do?

He blinked at the door and then felt like hitting himself because the others came to see him and he was supposed to meet them and talk things out. Right! It was a good start. There was no point in panicking. Nothing has happened yet and if they knew what _will_ happen then maybe they could do something about it.

They could change things!

He ran out of the house with a speed that he had never thought himself capable of. He ignored the tiny voice that said he was supposed to be at the smith shop. It was the least of his worries in that moment.

He was _not_ letting his father die! Stoick the Vast still had decades to live!

His feet (two of them!) automatically took him to the edge of the forest that was their secret spot when they were about 6 years old and still hanging out together. The others were already there and spread around the now very small space.

Astrid stood up when she saw him and smiled shyly. Hiccup forced himself not to stop and stare because timid and Astrid didn't go together. Never! He took a deep breath and paused on the fringe of the somewhat circle they formed.

"So, it wasn't a dream…" He moved his attention to the others.

For once, the twins and Snotlout looked serious and dare he say, anxious. Fishlegs was twirling his thumbs and watching the grass at his feet with an intensity that worried the slightly older teen. Astrid was emotionless, but he caught her looking at him with relief and trust. Seemed like the movie had changed her opinion of him, and if he was honest, it also revealed what he did not know about her as well.

Astrid was the one who broke the ice, as he silently predicted. "When I woke up this morning I asked my father about it but he had no idea what I was talking about. Same thing with my mother, my aunt, my cousin, everyone!" She pushed the bangs out of her eye in her usual nervous gesture, even if they settled back in the same place afterwards. "It's like it never happened to them, they weren't there."

"Except they were…" Muttered Fishlegs. "But they forgot."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Snotlout's voice was a bit nasally, but his nose didn't look broken. He still had some crusted blood around his upper lip though. "Are we the only ones who know?"

"What _can_ we do?" Wondered Ruffnut crestfallen. She would be lying if she said she didn't want to ride a dragon. Her brother thought the same. They really liked the destruction Barf and Belch could do. "Nobody is gonna listen to us."

"Especially us!"

"_Especially_ about something like this!" Stressed Astrid.

A cloud of gloom covered the group as they each got lost in their own world. Hiccup knew more than anyone else how stubborn the villagers could get. Earlier, the movie helped change their minds but now they weren't stuck to chairs and forced to watch humans and dragons coexist. Right now, they had no proof and even if they somehow managed to find their dragons they couldn't just fly them to the plaza and hope. He frowned and it took more than a few seconds to realize that the others were staring at him.

Hiccup flinched. "W-What?"

Astrid rolled her eyes as if he was the slow one. "Well, what are we gonna do?"

"Me? You're asking me?" Snotlout was about to reply but the blonde shield maiden elbowed him painfully.

"Your decision is much more likely to make sense." She quipped.

"Yeah, and nobody wants to go with our plan…" Said Tuffnut with an uncaring shrug.

Ruffnut pouted. "Even though it's more awesome."

Fishlegs nodded and the act encouraged Hiccup a bit. He glanced at Astrid and her eyes for a split second fell to his feet. He couldn't help tense and then the conversation about the Queen came back to him. They made eye contact and she inclined her head. It surprised him how easily he understood her.

"Okay…" He started and settled down on the grass. "But first, I have to tell you guys some things."

Fishlegs didn't miss the exchange and it made him curious. But he was going to withhold judgment for now. Everyone made themselves comfortable and Hiccup began to tell them about the discoveries and theories he came up with during the movie, conveniently ignoring Astrid's _certain_ actions.

The story along with the debate that followed regarding the best course of action lasted well after midday. Fishlegs was seeing the logic in Hiccup's thinking and even dropped his own input. Astrid reminded them that the dragons were already injured and starving during the raids and that must have made them more violent and less patient with the Vikings. Snotlout and the twins were excited to hear that a dragon, possibly the size of an Alpha, could exist in Helheim's Gate. It was short lived after realizing that if their parents managed to find it during an expedition there would be fewer chances of them coming back alive.

"So, it's decided then." Hiccup declared. "We act normal for now. We'll try and keep an eye on the dragons in the Kill Ring and during a raid we should keep an eye out for Toothless. Perhaps the dragons remember but they don't wanna show up and scare everyone…"

"I should also start taking notes about what we've seen of the dragons." Fishlegs jumped in excited. "Everything I remember from the Dragon Manual is nothing compared to what we've seen!"

Hiccup smiled at the larger boy's enthusiasm despite Snotlout's and the twins' exasperation. He nodded in approval and everyone got ready to leave. It was late in the afternoon and Hiccup was reminded that he neglected his duty at the forge and that Gobber was sure to ask questions.

"In that case," Astrid spoke climbing nimbly on her feet. "We'll meet tomorrow in the Great Hall to talk about the Dragon Manual and then we'll see from there."

"Yeah, Snot-man is not into that. I'm more of an action kind of guy if you know what I mean." But Snotlout's blatant winking went completely ignored by Astrid who was already walking away with her axe swung over her shoulder.

She briefly waved to Hiccup as she ran back in the village. Tuffnut and Ruffnut laughed at Snotlout's crushed chance while Fishlegs quietly decided to retreat. All in all, the plan was not perfect or definitive by any means, but it was a good start.

/\\\\\

The next morning saw the smart half of the group at a table in the Great Hall pouring over the small book that included all Viking knowledge of dragons. Gobber wasn't very pleased that Hiccup arrived at work at the end of the day but he let it slide, being the good mentor that he was. Right now, both Gobber and Stoick were eyeing the three teens hurdled over the book so intensely and wondering if they missed something.

"So… what do ye think?" Asked the blonde blacksmith in a whisper.

Stoick was thoughtful. He was frowning and he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was a good sign or not. Hiccup was never one to hang out with the others his age due to obvious reasons. He was short and lanky and could barely lift a shield not to mention an axe.

"He's been out all day yesterday… Didn' tell me where."

The Chief made a guttural sound that might have been an understanding hum. "And now he's researching dragons… I understand the Ingerman boy but the lass? Hofferson's daughter's already well on her way ta become a good warrior. She only needs field experience."

"So, what yer saying is…" Gobber trailed, his face expectant.

Stoick looked at him smiling. "It's good. Maybe Hiccup can learn something from them."

Gobber rolled his eyes but he was also approving even if he found everything a bit suspicious. Hiccup was usually a spluttering mess around Astrid and now by some miracle he could talk to her like a normal human being. Not to mention his mysterious whereabouts the other day.

The fact that he was studying dragons wasn't that big of a surprise since the boy was obsessed with proving himself to his father and the quickest way to do that was to kill one of the beasts. But what were the chances of Fishlegs and Astrid both studying at the same time? Could they have talked about this? Was Hiccup with them yesterday? Gobber really wanted to know but at the same time he felt like he should give the boy some space. He could always catch him at the forge.

/\\\\\

"I can't believe this!" Fishlegs was over the moon. Hiccup and Astrid exchanged knowing looks above his head as the blonde boy kept jotting down notes and theories. "Hiccup, I think I need more paper because there is just so much! Oh yeah, oh yeah, Fishleeeegs! Whoo!"

Hiccup laughed weakly. "Yeah! Hehe! Y-You should tone it down a bit, 'Legs!"

Astrid was shaking her head smiling. "Wow, I've never seen you so happy since Snoggletog days when we were young."

"I can't help it, guys! There is just so little in the Dragon Manual and so much we've learned only by watching. Imagine what we could find if we could actually approach dragons and study them up close! Oooh! I'm getting goosebumps only thinking about it!"

"Yeah, maybe we should just leave this to you then." The young heir finally said. Astrid nodded beside him but Fishlegs was beyond listening.

Together, the two snuck off out of the Hall. The weather was nice for being close to winter but Hiccup wouldn't bet it would stay the same. They walked in a comforting silence all the way to the forge, Hiccup sneaking looks out of the corner of his eye to the young shield-maiden.

Astrid herself, was well aware of his attention. She refrained from showing any awareness but she had to admit, deep down, it felt very good when it was him doing it. Knowing that she could evoke such emotions from males was never a subject she thought about very often. She had more important duties to complete, training to do, expectations to meet. She simply didn't care about boys.

For some reason, it was different with Hiccup. Maybe because they were close when they were young; maybe because she still, in some way, felt bad for him, she still felt guilty for abandoning him. But she couldn't lie, there was more to it than that. She remembered the brief kiss on the cheek. It was an impulse; there was no deep reason for it. She just did it because she was touched by his trust, trust that she wasn't sure she deserved. She sighed as they reached the forge and turned to each other, Hiccup displaying a light redness over his cheeks.

"So, see you around?" She ignored his start but looked amused as he tried to pull himself together. Seems like he still was skittish around her when alone.

"Um… yeah, right. Uh, I-I've got some… stuff to do here. And Gobber'll probably question me, I'm sure…" At her slight frown, he waved his hand as if batting away her worries. "I'll be okay. He's easily distracted."

And by that he meant that Gobber will most likely focus on him and Astrid rather than him and everyone else which will make it easier to lie to him. Embarrassed he could do, bold-face lying… that was harder to accomplish with someone who knew him since he was a toddler.

"We'll talk some more tomorrow."

The blond nodded and left him alone right as he spotted the blacksmith limping down the stairs of the Great Hall. He decided to go right to work and perhaps the man would feel less inclined to interrogate him while he was dealing with volatile, dangerous instruments.

Alas, it did not happen. By the time the sun came down, Hiccup was nursing a burn on the side of his hand and grumbling about snooping adults and their sick joy of flustering young and accident-prone teenagers when carrying around molten metal of all things! It was dark when he entered his house and no surprise there - his father was not home.

He learned to accept it long ago, but the memories from that room, of the care and love that he'd seen in his father's eyes when he looked at him… it made it painful to see the cold, empty house that he'd come to take as normal for years. It was suddenly a strange, unfamiliar place. With a heavy heart, Hiccup trudged upstairs, locked the door and settled in his bed waiting for sleep to claim him.

/\\\\\

The next morning, Hiccup woke up slowly. For a few moments he was numb, stuck in a world where everything didn't matter; it was only him and the peaceful warmth of his bed. And then, reality called and he groaned.

'_Did all that really happened?'_

Doubt was once again gnawing at him. He shook it off and prepared for the day, ignoring the chilling hearth and vacant house. He ignored breakfast and went straight to the hall, hoping to catch Fishlegs and see what he has done so far. Hopefully, everything wasn't a dream and he won't embarrass himself in front of the village.

Like always.

As he walked, he noticed the graying sky. Rain meant no raids, but there were no thunders or flashes in the distance, only a cold winter wind blowing. So wrapped up in his weather analysis he was, he didn't notice the large body in his path.

He fell down surprised from the impact.

"Hiccup." It was his father. Even more surprising.

"Oh, h-hey dad." He pulled himself up before the man even thought about offering his hand. "Watcha doing?"

"I was just talking with Hoark. He needed some help."

"Ah."

They both started walking towards the mountain, stuck in an awkward silence. Stoick stared ahead, the very embodiment of his name. In comparison, Hiccup was looking down at his feet. It spoke volumes of their relationship when standing next to each other felt so unfamiliar. The Viking heir remembered what he had seen in the movie, the ease how he talked with his father, the closeness that existed between them.

For a second his mind wondered… if changing the future, actively interfering, would it somehow affect his relationship with his father? Would they still be as close as he had seen or would he damage whatever connections are left between them? Already having to lie and hide things from him and Gobber felt so wrong… However, he only had a vague idea of what was going to happen. So even if he didn't want to change the future he would still do it only because he knew what he knew and it would affect his actions regardless…

His eyes scrunched in frustration, hidden away by lazy bangs and his drooping head. No matter how he sliced it, everything would be different. There was no going back. He had to try everything in his power in order to create a decent outcome that could benefit all. Dark thoughts of failure and disappointment still haunted him but it wasn't bothering him as much as it should. He has lived with those for a while now. It only added a bit more to the huge weight already present.

He had to try his best. And he wasn't alone for this.

"Dad…" He looked up, suddenly calm and determined. "Can I ask you something?"

Stoick's expression didn't change, but he took a moment longer studying his son before nodding. "Sure."

"We keep captured dragon in the Kill Ring, right? What-What dragons are there now?"

The man raised an eyebrow at the random question, but he complied. "There are three. Nadder, Gronckle and a Zippleback. We're gonna use them ta train some new recruits in the future." Hiccup nodded thoughtfully. "Why ye asking?"

The boy shrugged. "Just curious. Thanks. Hey, can I go ahead? I see Fishlegs."

They were almost at the doors, ten steps or so and the blond boy was holding a book up to his nose, trying to divide his attention between the book and not bumping into people. Stoick motioned for him to go and he watched the short teen run off with a weird expression.

Something unusual was going on with his son but he couldn't think if it was good or bad. He knew for sure he was telling this to Gobber. It was painful to admit that his best friend could probably interpret the lad's actions better than him. But he didn't know how to go about fixing it so instead… he let it go for now.

Like always.


	2. Downed Dragon

**Hello, everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you all are doing fine during this time and I am relieved to say that me and my family have been spared from the Covid virus. As an introvert, I was pleased by the isolation. Something else that pleased me was your response to this story. I still want to keep the updates slowly because well, I haven't worked on this story for a long time and I'd rather put out a new chapter after I am sure I've added something more to the overall project. My interest varies in this fandom at the moment, but I thoughts about giving you guys something and repaying you for your support. **

**Although, by the end of it I'm not sure how much you'll appreciate it… Hehe…**

**I don't own 'How To Train Your Dragon'. The rightful owners are Cressida Cowell and Dreamworks.**

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**Chapter 2: Downed Dragon…?**

That night was a raid.

Hiccup woke up to the scent of burning wood and he was up in a flash, almost flying down the stairs and yanking the door open. Only for a dragon to spit fire at him. He closed it immediately and grimaced at the hot sensation seeping through the logs. A few seconds later (and several deep breaths), he opened the door again and sprinted outside, dodging Vikings left and right.

It was ridiculously early, still so dark with hardly any moonlight shining through the clouds. The air was freezing but, Hiccup thought morbidly, the burning houses warmed up the vicinity enough so everyone could move efficiently.

As he ran down the hill towards the forge he noticed his father with a couple of adults discussing casually, as if flying, fire-breathing lizards weren't zipping above their heads wreaking havoc. One of the men split from the group and seconds later two enormous torches were raised and lit, bathing the village in light and showing the swarm of dragons above them. It wasn't until a hand yanked him to a stop that he finally took his eyes away from the sky and switched to the blonde beauty that was Astrid Hofferson. Just in time as a blast of fire landed in front of him.

"Do you ever stop daydreaming?" The edge in her voice was somewhat unnerving and Hiccup couldn't help shrink a bit. It was too similar with the days of ignorance and derision when the girl simply walked by him, regarded him with stony eyes and moved on uninterested.

Astrid noted his reaction and immediately her hand dropped. She cleared her throat. "We are on fire patrol duty, do you wanna join us?" Her voice was still tense but she was trying to be nice, which Hiccup truly appreciated.

"Ah… n-no! No. I should go and help Gobber in the forge." At her slight frown – Gods, she was beautiful in the glow of the fire – Hiccup stepped back, hands twisting and gesticulating away from them. "Besides, I'm not sure how much help I can be here… right now…"

Blinking for a second, Astrid picked up on the hesitance that had nothing to do with the fight and more to do with 'do I even want to kill a dragon anymore?'. She managed a grimace of a smile and nodded in understanding. "Alright, Haddock. But keep your eyes on the present, okay?"

He smiled his crooked smile and saluted her. Rolling her eyes, the blonde ran off and the young heir only took a second of watching her disappear before continuing on his way. The moment he entered the shop his hand was reaching for the apron.

"Ah! Nice of you ta join the party! I thought ye've been carried off!" The blacksmith was at the anvil, beating straight a red hot sword. What it took to deform the blade so much Hiccup didn't want to know.

He scoffed, trying to hide his amusement at the scenario. '_Not unless it's Snotlout'_… "What, who me? Nah, come on! I'm waaaay too muscular for their taste." The strain in his voice as he lifted the spiked hammer and placed it on the wall for easy access was ignored by both in exchange for the banter. "They wouldn't know what to do with all... this."

Gobber was unimpressed by his flexing. "Well, they need toothpicks, don't they?"

As he switched his prosthetic to continue with the sword, Hiccup ran to the service desk and opened the windows where impatient Vikings were looking between the shop and the sky. He didn't waste any time, grabbing the handful of weapons to fix them as soon as possible. The men's exclamations to hurry up were no help to begin with, but that's how Vikings usually rolled. Can't have conversation without some yelling…

As he was working the bellows, a house suddenly exploded outside, the fire spreading quickly to encase the wooden structure. The shouts were more distinguishable as everybody was drawing attention to the fire and not a minute later, Hiccup saw the other kids running to the scene dragging an entire water barrel and buckets.

He stopped working to watch their kind-of worthless attempt at saving the house. They each splashed water on the fire putting it out somewhat in the front but that didn't deter the rest from continuing eating at the wood. Also, the random shot that exploded behind them that nullified their efforts entirely was just the berry on the pancake.

But Astrid… oh, she looked like a vengeful goddess walking away from the fire, wisps and shadows dancing beautifully across her frame. He didn't even realize he was leaning on the window until Gobber lifted him by the back of his tunic and dragged him inside.

"Oh, come on. I wasn't doing anything!"

"That's exactly it. Ye have more important things ta do then daydream." Hiccup sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. Gobber's stern glare softened. "Listen, Hiccup, there's a good reason why yer here, and not there."

"Yeah, so I won't get in the way."

"That too! Ye can't exactly lift a hammer, swin' an axe or throw a bola…" Hiccup shot him a dry look. "But more importantly, if you ever want to get out there ta fight dragons, you need ta stop all... this…"

The heir's look turned incredulous. "You just pointed to _all_ of me!"

"Yes! That's _it_! Stop being all of ye!"

He couldn't tell if Gobber was joking and he was trying to make him feel better with an overblown enthusiastic performance… or if he actually meant every word. It was painful for him either way. So he did what he did best. Bury it.

"You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw Viking-ness... contained? There will be consequences!" The dramatics were smothered somewhat by Gobber's condescending smirk.

"I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now."

Hiccup was a bit depressed at the turn of that conversation. Him and Gobber usually had a banter going on in the shop 24/7 but today was more heavy-blowing than normal. He unenthusiastically took the sword to the grinding stone and began working on it but his mind was miles apart. All his life he had been trying to fit in and when that didn't work he decided to fit in 'Hiccup' style. He couldn't kill a dragon with his bare hands like most so he built machines to help him with that. But not even those were successful half the time. The other half they were a danger to the village.

He shook his head to banish the thought. He didn't have to worry about killing dragons anymore. He didn't want to. All that effort, all those hours wasted on perfecting the mechanisms, sketching and wracking his brain to come up with solutions to make his thoughts real. The sword nearly slipped through his slack fingers but he managed to catch it before it would have toppled over the stone and taken him with it. He still stumbled back, and the sudden rocking of explosions didn't help his balance.

"NIGHT FURY! GET DOWN!"

Hiccup gasped and dropped the blade. He dashed to the window just in time to hear the tell-tale high-pitched whistle coming closer. And the nearby catapult was blasted to pieces. Nothing left to save as the purplish flames consumed it while the rest fell into the sea. A second later and its dark shape blended with the night sky once more.

"Toothless…" He was still attacking them. "Whatcha doing, bud?"

Maybe he didn't know what else to do. It wasn't like Hiccup was out there and easy to pick out from the crowd. Toothless was just doing what he knew he had to do and that was covering for the other dragons as they raided the village. He needed to leave the smithy and go somewhere where he could be seen by the dragon.

Somewhere where he could get his attention…

"_Ooohh… hehe, yeah… Huh, well crazy thing is… I'm actually the one who shot him down._ _It's-It's okay though… he got me back, right bud?"_

Hiccup froze. He then slowly turned to look at a huge contraption covered by cloth further back in the shop.

"… No way."

A grunt nearby made him look at Gobber, switching the tongs for an axe. "Man the fort, Hiccup. They need me out there!" He stopped in the doorway and turned to him. "Stay. Put. There. Ye know what I mean."

Watching him limp on the battlefield, war cry on his lips and axe waving in the air made Hiccup think this was some awfully impeccable timing. What were the chances that he would be left alone during a raid when the Night Fury clearly showed up along with a long-ranged invention he had only finished last week?

Pretty low considering it was him… or high? It had every chance to turn into a disaster so maybe he shouldn't feel surprised. Hiccup decided to just go with it. He ripped the dusty rag off the Mangler and took a second to run his hand on the wood before he was spiraling down the village with it. He was aiming for one of the remaining catapults, so he angled the machine towards a lone cliff side facing the sea.

Without hesitation he opened it, set the launcher, put a bola inside and aimed at the sky. He was panting after having to push the cart almost halfway across the village and even uphill for a bit. His sweaty palms were fixed on the trigger as his eyes scanned the blackness of the sky for any sign of a shadow blotting the stars.

This was it! The moment that would start everything! He and Toothless would finally meet and together they would lead the tribe to a prosperous future. He couldn't pass this chance! It was now or never!

… But then…

"_I found him the woods. He was shot down and… wounded."_

He did what he shouldn't… He started thinking.

"_This Snafflefang lost his leg to one of Drago Bludvist's iron traps._ _This Rain Cutter got his wing sliced by razor netting. And this… oh, poor Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree snare… And then left to die alone and scared."_ His mother's voice floated gently as she recited the hunters' atrocities. The coldness in her tone as she regarded Toothless' missing fin. _"And what of this? Did Drago or his trappers do this too?"_

"_Huh, well crazy thing is… I'm actually the one who shot him down."_

Hiccup was struggling for air for an entire different reason now. His fingers were shaking on the Mangler, and seriously… What a terrible name that was! He was going to shoot down a Night Fury! He was going to shoot down Toothless… his friend… his… his someone very important that he wasn't even sure what truly meant to him!

_Hiccup was looking at the intense green eyes, so alike and so different from his own. He wasn't scared. But he did feel a certain knot of unease the root of which he couldn't understand. The dragon was at arm-length away from him and he wanted to touch it – him. Touch him! He smiled and the dragon narrowed his eyes. He then pulled back his lips, in an attempt at copying him, revealing toothless gums._

"_Toothless?"_

_The dragon's smile became less forced at the sound of his given name. Hiccup chuckled and stretched his hand._

_Toothless looked at it for a moment. And with an apologetic croon he quickly licked his hand and dashed back to the dragons._

He had never been that close to a dragon before. No, wait, that was wrong! He had never been that close to a dragon that was _not_ hostile. The warmth in the dragon's eyes was overwhelming and he wanted to get even closer. He wanted to know, were those scales just as warm? Were they hard and stony as dragons' hides were described to be by the older folks? Was his heart beating as fast as his back then?

Hiccup dropped his head on his arm, hands slacking over the machine. He groaned. He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to willingly harm Toothless. Maybe it was intentional before but it was impossible now that he knew what he knew. There was no way he could curse Toothless to a grounded life like that.

The whistle was suddenly growing closer and closer.

The young heir gasped, panicked. But if he didn't then how would they meet again? Without bringing Toothless down there was no way in Hel Hiccup would catch him. And then nothing would change. The Vikings would keep fighting the dragons until Ragnarok or until they would completely destroy each other.

"Dammit!"

With shaking hands, he positioned the Mangler again. The sound was approaching, faster and louder. _'I'm so sorry, bud… I have to.'_ He blinked the tears out of his eyes and focused on watching the catapult.

It happened in an instant.

A shade blocking the stars and then the wood was exploding. Purple shockwaves illuminated him briefly. It felt like the world slowed down for the two seconds everything lasted. Hiccup sucked in a breath, his whole body trembling. He pulled the trigger.

The recoil thrust him back with a cry. He took a moment to shake the fading pain in his back away and stood up. The only sounds were the crackling lumber of the lone catapult and the distant shouts from the village.

He _missed_.

No… He-he hesitated.

Hiccup had no idea how to react to that realization. Toothless was fine, maybe spooked by the close call, but he was uninjured. And Hiccup failed at what he was supposed to do.

It was… Over.

Whatever plan they had, they needed the dragons. He needed Toothless. Without him, Hiccup was… well, nobody. Hiccup the Useless striking again…

He didn't hear the growing rumble of a growl. So lost in self-loathing he was he didn't notice the Monstrous Nightmare climbing over the cliff until it was looming over him, all fired up and ready to toast the dumb human just standing there. The dragon crushed the Mangler under giant claws and Hiccup vaguely agreed with that. But not in that moment! No, he was stunned by the sight of an orange-red dragon coming closer. That was on _fire_! Not even his voice could make it past the sudden knot in his throat. His feet were stuck. He should probably use some of the information in the book or whatever he witnessed from the future…

… No? Nothing? Yeah, he was dead!

The Nightmare reared its head. Hiccup had the presence of mind (or desperation) to cover his head with his arms. He was not ready to be incinerated but even if he ran… he would have just been incinerated a few meters away. Not an improvement.

A high-pitched sound cut through the air and not a moment later a small blast of fire hit the ground in front of the dragon. Hiccup was thrown off his feet again, still curled protectively and a bit blinded by the blast. The Nightmare screeched and another growl filled the space. With a deafening whip of his wings the fiery dragon was off and Hiccup blinked at the picture remaining.

Black scales, elegant, flowing shape, the Night Fury was a sight to behold as he turned his head to glance at him. Hiccup was speechless. In how many years the Vikings have been fighting dragons, the Night Fury has never touched land. He was always airborne, always weaving between dragons with fire to save, cover or distract only. He never engaged, never showed himself… and yet, here he was. Saving a pathetic runt like him from becoming food. He wasn't even worthy of that apparently.

But Hiccup was still overjoyed. Toothless saved him from the Nightmare. He couldn't get his feet beneath him fast enough.

"Bud!" He was running for him, cheeks hurting from how big he was smiling. "I'm so glad you're here!"

The dragon roared. His wings flared up threateningly and eyes the size of needles.

Hiccup stumbled to a halt. "W-What?" Green eyes regarded him with such wariness and such coldness that Hiccup clutched at his vest. "Bud, what's wrong? It's me – It's Hiccup!" He narrowed his eyes but didn't drop the pose. "I'm-I'm your friend! C'mon, don't you remember me?"

The dragon scoffed but dropped the act uninterested and prepared to take off.

"Wait, no! We are friends, please!" Hiccup tried to step closer, but the Night Fury wasn't having any of that. He let loose a weak plasma blast at his feet that Hiccup jumped away from in surprise. "… Toothless… what?"

The dragon looked at him, mistrust and confusion swimming in poison green eyes, and then at the remains of the Mangler. He growled and flew off. And shot a blast that eradicated any splinters left of the thing.

Hiccup was left stunned and absolutely heart-broken. Toothless didn't know him. He didn't remember anything.


	3. Focus, Hiccup!

**Hello! I am back for one more update! Thank you for everyone who showed interest in this story and I hope you all are safe and sound. Me and my family were lucky and evaded the virus even with my mom working at the hospital. Hopefully things will pick up now worldwide!**

**I do not own the 'How to Train Your Dragon' franchise. They belong to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.**

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**Chapter 3: Focus, Hiccup!**

Hiccup walked back to the forge in a daze. The world surrounding him has never looked so dim and lifeless. Even the fires seemed to fail at bringing any light and energy to the otherwise desolate sight of the village. The Vikings were harassing away the last few dragons but Hiccup didn't find any strength to care. About anything, even their well-being like before. He stopped in the middle of the road, ignoring the people yelling and passing by.

Toothless did not remember him. Just admitting that fact left him breathless. How could his heart hurt so much because of someone he knew for a few hours? It wasn't even Toothless' fault! Why were the Gods so eager to screw with him so much?

Hiccup noticed the other kids heading for the shop. He felt too tired to deal with them so he turned on his heels and trudged back to his lone, quiet home. Gobber could chew him all he wanted later. For now, he just… didn't care.

The next hour felt like seconds. Hiccup wasn't aware of much. He got home, hearth empty and cold because, of course. He wasn't hungry but he sat in front of the cupboards debating if he should eat something. The nausea that suddenly came over him was a good answer. He climbed to his room instead and slumped at his desk, on top of papers and charcoal and pens.

And cried. He just, finally, let everything out.

/\\\\\

The wind welcomed him in its embrace. So free, so uncritical of every single twitch of his scales. It was the only time when he could feel like himself. Like his body was his, like his will was unconstrained by the shackles of a beautiful song. The wind was everything he desired and everywhere he dreamed.

The sky had no limit, the horizon was endless, and the young Dark-Scale felt weightless between them. Insignificant but free. Because it was only in those few moments of sunlight when he could go do whatever. As long as he returned by moonlight. As long as he returned to _her_ and guard _her_ property. As long as the others' hopes were laid in front of him, he would keep returning.

But not at the moment.

His mind was occupied by an odd incident. And incident and an individual, more precisely. The Dark-Scale considered himself intelligent, above intelligent than his kin in some cases. He knew it was advantageous to hold himself back, stick to the shadows and the mystery. It was natural to his species. He never bothered to stoop to the level _she_ demanded of everyone. Therefore, he took a role that both satisfied _her_ and aided his fellows. He won the gratitude and accord of both parties doing something that he is not entirely against and that came logically to him as a Dark-Scale. He still did not agree with anything _she_ said, but if it kept him alive and in the others' good graces then he would take it. It was all about survival in that Nest.

Which was why he thought about it now. He didn't understand what came over him last moon. The Fire-Skin was not going to kill the hatchling. Scare him a lot, chase him a bit, yes. But not outright kill him. They were a more violent bunch but they still wouldn't go that far with a hatchling. The young one was strange though. And he, himself, couldn't comprehend why he felt such an… urging to stop his kin.

He let the small one see him, unprotected by the darkness, and it felt like a victory. To watch the awe spread on their weird faces, the reverence glinting in similar eyes, and then the happy looking turn of his mouth. Why was he happy? What possible reason could a Viking hatchling have to be overjoyed at seeing an enemy?

He was amazing, no doubt about it. But the situation didn't normally dictate ease and relief from the Viking. On the contrary, he should have been even more scared. But the thing came towards him and _then_ he was scared when the Dark-Scale manifested his displeasure. But not for himself. The dragon was so confused about that meeting. Nothing of his reactions made sense. And he also called him something but he didn't care among rage at himself and growing annoyance at the hatchling.

The broken look in his eyes cut him deeper than expected. He still didn't know what to think. Who was that? Why was he so eager to possibly die by approaching him? Why was he _happy_?

The wind coiled around his form as he descended, careful to not cause the whistle that announced his presence. He wasn't usually so attentive as he loved the feeling of people noticing him. But in that moment he had a special mission. The Viking village was a tiny dot in the ocean, and he made sure to fly around and approach from the forested side of their island. He already let one of them see him, he wasn't going to allow any more.

The sky was cloudy but otherwise dry and warm. The forest was cool and he had no hope of blending in with the greenery, so he had even more incentive to watch out for any Viking activity. It was very slow and the fire above indicated about half a day has passed. It was disappointing but worthy in the end. He was almost close to the tree line of the highest ledge of the island. As far as he knew, only the Alpha of the people lived there, so it was a perfect spot as it lacked any more settlements and it also provided a good view. Hopefully. The more he sneaked forward the louder his logical part became. What was he trying to do anyway? He knew he had incredible sight, but could he even distinguish the hatchling among hundreds? What was he hoping to achieve by spying on him?

What if he was caught? Pff… they stood no chance anyway. But wouldn't he tarnish his reputation for this? Was it really worth it? What about that Viking that it drove him to actually get close enough to sniff them? He stopped. What was he doing? Just what was he trying to do here?

The Viking made him curious.

But why? Why did he care what a stupid child was doing?

He looked so sad.

Again, why? It was none of his business what their kind got up to. He had a clear duty. They all knew what they were doing. Sometimes there were disagreements of the morality of attacking somewhat defenseless beings but it was a moot point when faced with _her_. They all knew their obligations, whether they like it or not. So why should he be interested in the hatchling's sadness?

Because he looked at him. And he was sad. He was sad because of _him_.

The Dark-Scale shook his head. He growled and rubbed his paws over his head. No matter how much he tried he couldn't forget that look. Why? Why did he hurt every time he remember it? Who was that?

A snapped twig made him freeze. He wasn't alone anymore. Slowly, he sniffed the air. And his heart almost stopped. The same child was near him. He carefully maneuvered between the trees towards him, staying low to the ground and constantly shaded by the vegetation. The Viking was walking in the forest, heading deeper inland. He was unaware of the dragon.

The Dark-Scale was stumped. He wasn't sure what to do next. He wasn't even sure he could have found him in the first place and now here they were. At the moment, he decided to follow him. The human was still sad, but he seemed more defeated than when he left him. Sometimes he stopped, watching the trees, the birds, the wavering leaves of the crowns. The dragon thought he was about to cry. He's seen others do it when they were scared or they lost somebody. Followed by screaming and throwing their weapons at the nearest of his kin.

The young Viking didn't seem to be going anywhere anymore. He pondered on his strange behavior for a few seconds and decided to act. Maybe they would both get something worthwhile out of it. He slowly moved around him until he was in front. And then he darted behind the trees.

It was a quick motion. Something that would surely catch his eye. And it did. With a gasp. He made certain that he couldn't be seen entirely. A black shadow moving around was enough to get his attention and the Dark-Scale was pleased at how the boy only hesitated for a moment before following.

He continued to lead him further in the forest. He wasn't sure where he was going but he forgot about that soon. It quickly became a game. He waited for him to get closer. And then he would leap, hidden, but still showing black scales that would attract his eyes. Sometimes he would rattle branches with his tail, throw a rock or jump in front of a beam of light. The hatchling followed him, never getting too close to see him but most likely guessing who it was.

They arrived at a cliff, a slopping path going between boulders at the bottom. The Dark-Scale came to a halt. He was amused enough to continue playing but he didn't want to be caught off-guard. He wasn't going to lose the height advantage, even if the prospect of a fight was slim to none. He grabbed a rock in his mouth and bounded up the closest tree as soundless as possible. As the young one came into view, he tossed the rock down the hole hearing it bounce around to the ground all the way, at the foot of the hill.

The boy slowed down, breathing for air. He looked around, blinking at the area as if just now noticing where he was. He approached the opening, twisting to see anything suspicious but stepped inside after a while. The Dark-Scale hummed approvingly and leaped down, flapping his wings once to not make too much noise as he hit the floor.

He wasn't sure how well the humans' hearing was but so far, the little one was able to keep up with his sound trails. He suspected he must have heard that as well, as gently as he tried to be. So he didn't hesitate to walk on top of the boulders and glance down, into those annoyingly familiar green eyes.

/\\\\\

The Meade Hall was always a loud spot in the village. Now especially, it was a center of chaos and agitation as what seemed like the whole village gathered to discuss an age-old matter.

"Either we finish them, or they'll finish us!" Stoick marked his words by sticking his knife in the map, drawing everyone's attention. "It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home! One more search. Before the ice sets in."

The Chief stood tall at the head of the table. Above the flickering flames of the fire pit he watched with hawk like eyes his men's reactions. They were mumbling and whispering, none dared to speak out against him but he knew their opinion did not match his right then.

"Those ships never come back." One brave soul finally admitted.

Stoick rolled his eyes, the line slipping instantly out with how many times he said it to his son. "We're Vikings! It's an occupational hazard! Now who's with me?"

More grumbles accompanied his statement. He was starting to feel his ire rising. Excuses like "Gothi said today's not good for me," and "I've gotta do my axe returns,", he's heard so many times he didn't even acknowledge anymore.

"Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup." As much as it rubbed him the wrong way to use his son, Stoick couldn't help but marvel at how well it worked. Before he could blink, the men and women gathered were all up in volunteering. He nodded, smiling, and that was the signal that the meeting was over.

"Right, I'll pack ma' undies."

He motioned for Gobber to wait as he walked to his table. "No, I need ye ta stay and train some new recruits."

Gobber only waited a breath before falling back down. "Oh, perfect. And while ahm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall." He swirled his tankard hand around, shrugging dramatically. "Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time ta himself... what could possibly go wrong?"

Stoick sighed heavily, sitting down next to his best friend. "What am ah going ta do with him, Gobber?"

"Put him in training with the others." The smith said matter-of-factly.

"No, I'm serious."

"So am I."

"He'd be killed before ye let the first dragon out of its cage."

The man scoffed. "Oh, ye don't know that."

"I do know that, actually." Stoick said just as matter-of-factly.

"No, ye don't."

"No, actually, I do."

"No, ye don't!"

At Gobber's insistence, the man took a deep breath. "Listen, ye know what he's like. From the time he could crawl he's been... different." He stood up, pacing in front of the table. Gobber was shaking his head taking a gulp of beer. He choked and his tooth snapped off falling in the mug. "He doesn't listen, he has the attention span of a sparrow... Ah take him fishing and he goes hunting for... for trolls!"

"Trolls exist!" The smith turned to him forgetting about the tooth. "They steal yer socks. But only the left ones. What's with that?"

"When ah was a boy..."

"Oh, here we go." Gobber shook his mug, looking down to see his missing tooth while Stoick kept monologue-ing in the background.

"My father told me to bang my head against a rock, and ah did it. Ah thought it was crazy, but ah didn't question him. And ye know what happened?"

"Ye got a headache." He finally got it out and was trying to put it back in its place, half paying attention as Stoick went on.

"That rock split in two. It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber. He could - He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, ah knew what ah was, what ah had ta become. Hiccup is not that boy."

"Ye can't stop him, Stoick. Ye can only prepare him." At the disheartened look his friend gave him, Gobber pressed on. Let it not be said that he doesn't do anything for his apprentice. "Look, ah know it seems hopeless. But the truth is ye won't always be around ta protect him. He's goin' to get out there again. He's probably out there now."

The man sighed. After a short thoughtful moment, he finally agreed. "All right! Fine!" He wrapped his hand around Gobber's shoulder and shook him good-naturedly. "Ah guess ah'll leave him ta ye then."

The smith snorted and finished his drink.

/\\\\\

The village post dragon raid always looked like a smoking wasteland. The burnt houses looked worse than when on fire, the ground was splattered with blood, whose, one could never be sure, and there were random weapons strewn around, broken or dropped during the fight. It took a day for everything to be gathered and for repairs to begin but it was routine by now. With whole centuries backing them, rebuilding homes was as quick and instinctive as gripping one's axe.

Snotlout was used to the scene but he could never get used to the stains. They wouldn't stay though, one swift rainfall and they would be gone. Or the constant trampling going on would cover them with dust in no time. He finished helping the others gather the weapons and delivering them to the smith shop while the adults were discussing in the Hall and now he found himself with nothing to do.

Astrid was helping her folks fix some broken pieces of their rooftop, Fishlegs was once again buried in that stupid book of his and the twins… he wasn't interested in that. And he didn't want to know. The less he knew the better. Now, however, he had a new piece of information to mull over.

Hookfang.

He winced just thinking of his name. While he didn't get as close to his dragon as Hiccup did, that wasn't indicative of his feelings. He liked Hookfang. Very much so. He was a bit scared of him, what with him being so aggressive and confrontational, especially back with Drago. Hiccup told them yesterday that there was no Monstrous Nightmare in the pens. But his father was put in charge of taking the captured Nightmare to the ring just earlier.

Snotlout wasn't the smartest guy around. He knew that, even if he denied admitting it aloud. But even he could tell that it was too much of a coincidence. The village had captured a dragon from each species they would ride, except Night Fury; he was still puzzled how that would come into play. He didn't get to see the dragon but he was sure he could tell right away if it was Hookfang or not.

His feet carried him to the Kill Ring, locked and guarded as the roars of the Nightmare echoed between the cliffs. Snotlout gulped trying to not appear frightened. Whenever he saw the ring now, he could only think of the war, the dragons tearing into each other, traps snapping close and breaking bones, spears and swords stabbing and spilling blood everywhere.

Snotlout hated the stains. He hated them before and he hated them now. But he couldn't do anything about it as he was. He needed Hookfang and he hoped to the Gods that his suspicion proved true and that the dragons stayed safe until they could figure out what to do.

/\\\\\

Hiccup looked at the top of the hill. Perched on a boulder near the entrance was the imposing sight of the Night Fury. Back arched and crouched down, the dragon was watching him with curious eyes. Hiccup willed his heart to stop its sprint. He was disappointed to see the empty cove at first until he heard the swoosh from above. The whole time, he hoped the shadow was who he thought it was. As absurd as his hopes were, Toothless coming back was a miracle.

The sheer joy from when he first laid eyes on the dragon came back to him. Hiccup smiled at him, crooked and wobbly. He was still very apprehensive about what would happen next. He was in an enclosed space, with the only exit being blocked by a dragon. Who the dragon was didn't matter considering he didn't recognize him.

But he knew… he knew that Toothless wouldn't hurt him.

Hiccup relaxed his body. He continued to smile and maintain eye contact with the Night Fury and they stayed like that for a while. At some point, Hiccup sat down on the grass. He motioned for him to come down but the dragon scowled and remained rooted to his spot. Hiccup shrugged and slowly pulled out his notebook when a low growl started in Toothless' throat. It stopped when he saw no danger but the young heir could tell he was even more curious.

He resisted the urge to laugh and instead opened the book and started to draw the Night Fury. It wasn't an extraordinarily angle, and the dragon was too bunched into himself for Hiccup to tell leg from tail, but he managed an initial sketch. The wind kicked up as the evening got closer. The air was getting colder but Hiccup ignored it in favor of spending time with Toothless. The dragon also relaxed from his defensive position and was now sitting down on the rock, front paws dangling from the edge. His eyes were the round, friendly orbs he's seen before and his many frills stuck up as he was watching him, an occasional croon ringing in wonderment.

The sky was getting dark when the Night Fury jerked back on his feet. The sudden motion made Hiccup jump. The dragon glanced at him strangely, before he unfolded his wings and took off without looking back. The boy frowned in confusion but he sighed and got up to leave now that the entrance was open. He observed the cove from above, standing in the same place that Toothless had and feeling the dissolving warmth left behind. With his notebook back in its place, Hiccup began the trek back to the village.

It took far longer than before to get back. The sky was dark, clouds rolling in but no sign of a storm yet. He got lost a couple of times in the forest but at least he knew some tracking tricks that he used to get on the right path. Not much considering the people in the tribe hardly hunted but useless doesn't always mean useless.

When he entered the house, Hiccup was surprised to see his father. The man was tending the fire absent-mindlessly so the youth took that as his cue to crawl up the stairs and avoid a confrontation.

"Hiccup."

No such luck apparently.

"Dad! Uh... hi!"

"Ah need ta speak with ye, son." Not beating around the bush, was he? Hiccup stood up on the stair, vaguely spotting he was at his father's level as he came next to him.

"Oh, uh… sure. What's going on?"

"Ah think it's time ye learn ta fight dragons." Hiccup felt too blind-sided to answer beside a croak that might have been the beginning of a yelp. Stoick continued, not noticing anything amiss. "Ye get yer wish. Dragon Training. Ye start in the mornin'."

When he finally found his voice, Hiccup hurried to placate his father. "Oh, man…uh, you know what? I've actually been thinking about it too!" As the man was ambling around the house, the teen's panic was rising and his hands were gesticulating like mad. "Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know, we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough... bread-making Vikings, or small home repair Vikings-?"

"Ye'll need this." Stoick threw him an axe that Hiccup barely caught.

"I don't want to fight dragons." He finished, expecting to get his attention. Instead, the man chuckled.

"Come on. Yes, ye do."

"Rephrase: Dad, I _can't_ kill dragons." He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about the battle at the Alpha's Nest.

"But ye _will_ kill dragons."

"Dad, please listen to me -" He tried again, almost dropping the axe.

"It's time, Hiccup."

"Can you not hear me?!"

Stoick huffed, jovial tone dropping for exasperation. "This is serious, son! When ye carry this axe, ye carry all of us with ye. Which means ye walk like us. Ye talk like us. Ye think like us." He straightened his posture, replaced the axe in his hand to a more warrior-like position and looked him over. "No more of... this."

"You just gestured to all of me." He mumbled, painfully reminded of Gobber earlier.

"Deal?"

"This conversation is feeling very one-sided."

"DEAL?"

Hiccup breathed deeply. His grip on the handle grew slack but he didn't let it fall no matter how much his hands wanted that. There was no way to turn this conversation around, if one could even call it that. He shuffled his feet, avoided his eyes, anything that would indicate his displeasure before nodding grimly.

"Deal..."

"Good. Train hard." The man ignored all his wordless protests. He went around the house gathering his supplies, before heading for the door. "Ah'll be back. Probably."

Hiccup almost wanted to ignore him back. But he couldn't let that be the memory he left on before another expedition. He managed to reply, totally defeated. "And I'll be here. Maybe."

He didn't look at him as he left. When the door closed, the teen slumped on the stairs finally releasing the weapon which toppled down on the floor. He buried his face in his arms and yelled in frustration. Just as his day was brightening, something had to come and ruin it.


	4. Dragon Training

**I do not own the 'How to Train Your Dragon' franchise. They belong to Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell.**

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**Chapter 4: Dragon Training**

The next morning Hiccup didn't want to get up anymore. He was feeling frustrated and excited in equal measures but he knew that somehow, this day would be horrible. Dragon training was something that he could only dream about before, but now it summed up everything he dreaded. He couldn't see himself hurting a dragon anymore. The horrible memories of Drago's campaign at the northern Nest were disturbing enough. Together with the notion of the dragons' situation, of the possible Nest in Helheim's Gate, of the very likely poor treatment they all suffered, Hiccup honestly couldn't bring himself to think bad of the creatures.

As the sun rose up from underneath the ocean, Hiccup was finishing his morning routine and was on his way to the smith shop. The closer he got the more he slouched, remembering how he basically abandoned Gobber yesterday and let him deal with all the repairs. He was going to pay for that, no to mention with dragon training on the schedule, he was going to have to double his work to be forgiven.

The blonde was already up and pounding on an axe. Each bang on the anvil made Hiccup flinch, especially as Gobber didn't even turn to look his way. Hiccup wrapped the apron around his waist and took the nearest blade to fix its cracked handle. The silence in the small space was deafening and very awkward. Hiccup wasn't sure he could take it for very long but he didn't feel like breaking it either. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Ye've been awfully busy lately, eh?"

The young heir winced at the cold tone of his mentor.

"Um, yeah… I'm sorry, Gobber."

"Damn well, ye should." He dropped the blade in the water bucket watching it steam for a few seconds. "Ah don't care about yer plans. After dragon training, ah want ye here and finishing that pile." He motioned to a corner where a cart of broken and chipped weapons laid. "Understood?"

"Ah… yes, sir." Hiccup sighed and went back to the sword. A few beats later and the man spoke, quietly.

"Did it work at least?"

Hiccup looked at the blonde confused. Gobber inclined his head towards the back of the shop, where a dirty cloth was discarded on the ground. Hiccup's eyes widened and he blushed. Of course, the smith would've noticed that. The Mangler wasn't small to begin with and Gobber had been a witness to numerous tweaks he made on the machine over the weeks.

He shook his head, focusing on securing the new handle. "N-No. It- it failed. And then a dragon stepped on it."

The man grunted. "At least it didnae destroy som'thing important."

The boy grimaced but had to reluctantly agree with that. The fact that Gobber didn't follow with a question about how he got away from the dragon was both relieving and disheartening. They continued to work together in mostly silence. The atmosphere became more relaxed as they fell back into old-habits and by lunch they went through a third of the work.

A quick meal between them and they headed for the Kill Ring. Hiccup was getting more and more anxious. Up ahead, in front of the locked gate he could make out the other teens. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were looking excited, laughing quietly and mumbling to themselves or each other. Fishlegs seemed on the verge of throwing up and even Snotlout was pale, though he was handling his nervousness much better. Astrid was absent-mindedly twirling her axe. Hiccup's hands tightened on his own weapon, its weight causing him to drag his feet as the blacksmith limped to open the arena ahead of him.

He nodded to the others. Nobody managed anything more than a grimace, except the twins who were far too chipper for what was about to go down.

"Welcome ta Dragon Trainin'!"

Gobber led them down the slope and inside the fortified space. A brief moment of hesitation and they all followed him. The wide, open ring was carved in the rock of the mountain, its surface smoothed out over decades by dragons and Vikings alike. Above them, a metal grid of thick chains covered the top, not giving any chance for anyone to escape the arena beside the main entrance. On the opposite wall were enormous, massive, iron doorways, each bolted shut and containing their dragons.

Despite the reasoning for being there, the teens couldn't help but marvel at their surroundings. Hiccup himself has only seen this place less than a handful of times. And always from the outside. His father stopped bringing him there about six years ago when he didn't show any signs of improvement on the Viking front.

They didn't use the arena only for dragons though; it was a perfect spot for settling disputes that required duels and even the occasional fighting tournaments. Naturally, as the raids grew in numbers and timings, the less the tribe used it for entertainment. It was harder now for everyone to gather here when they had to maintain the fields or care for the animals and just ensure that they had enough resources to survive.

"Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing their first dragon in front of the entire village." Gobber was pacing in front of them, either ignorant or uncaring of their unusually demure behavior. "Behind these doors are just a few of the many species ye will learn ta fight!"

Hiccup held back a groan. He was standing at the end of the line, next to Fishlegs who was clutching his bludgeon and fidgeting on the spot. The young heir almost wanted to reassure him but the same anxiety was making him just as sick.

"The Deadly Nadder!" Gobber yelled pointing back to the doors as if the dragons were in plain sight.

"Speed: eight, armor: sixteen."

He blinked at the soft whisper.

"The Hideous Zippleback!" The twins cackled.

"Plus eleven, stealth times two."

"The Monstrous Nightmare!" Snotlout winced.

"Firepower: fifteen."

"The Terrible Terror!"

"Attack: eight, venom: twelve."

"CAN YE STOP THAT?!" Both Hiccup and Fishlegs jumped. Gobber huffed and turned away. "And... the Gronckle!"

This time, Hiccup reached out to the boy next to him. It felt odd, especially since Fishlegs chose to ignore him for years in order to gain the 'cool' status, but the poor kid was whimpering at the mention of Meatlug.

And Hiccup had a heart.

"Jaw strength: eight."

He flashed him a quick smile.

The smith was going for the doors, where a level was next to the wall. As his hand closed around the wood, he heard the others gasp and shuffle.

"Whoa, whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first?" As suspected, Snotlout was the first to question him. Hiccup sighed and gripped the axe more comfortably. He wasn't sure how much use it would be anyway.

"Ah believe in learning on the job."

The gate opened with a snap and an angry not-yet-named Meatlug stormed out. The dragon promptly took off the ground swallowing the meagre pieces of loose rock laying around before directing her attention at the scattering children.

Gobber leaned against the wall, watching them scramble and smirking. "Today is about survival. If ye get blasted... yer dead! Quick! What's the first thing yer gonna need?"

"A doctor?"

"Plus five speed?!"

"A shield!"

Bless you, Astrid! Hiccup was already heading for the pile of shields near the entrance. Of course, the cumbersome weight of the axe made it difficult to run without tripping.

"Shields! Go! Yer most important piece of equipment is yer shield! If ye must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield!"

Hiccup was sure that everything was part of Gobber's revenge now. He was far too happy with their panicked dash all over the arena. He grabbed the first piece in reach, a red and white one, and immediately retreated near the wall. Astrid, Fishlegs and Snotlout did the same, though Astrid was jumping on her feet and always kept moving even if she pulled back each time she got closer to the Gronckle.

"Get your hands off my shield!"

"There's like a million shields!"

He swallowed the groan that almost got out. The twins were fighting _again_. The shield in question had skulls and green flames. It looked like something a child painted. Most likely Bucket. But their arguing made them forget about the dragon entirely so when not-yet-Meatlug stopped and took a deep breath, Hiccup felt his heart freeze.

His shout was out in the air the moment the ball of flaming rock was shooting across the ring. Astrid was running too, not a second later, sliding down and pushing the twins' legs from underneath them both. All three went down and the fireball sailed over their heads and into the wall. Astrid spun back on her knees, eyes fierce and shield up.

"Those shields are good fer another thing: noise! Make lots of it ta throw off a dragon's aim!"

Seriously, Gobber!

But he followed everyone's lead and started hitting his weapon against his shield. The Gronckle was starting to dip in her flight and she was shaking her head, confused. Hiccup wasn't sure if he should move towards the others or stay where he was. Astrid was instructing – or threatening – the twins to get up and pick a shield already, while Snotlout was moving slowly up to her and Fishlegs was waddling near the wall and cringing with every beat. He decided to inch his way to Fishlegs and at least be some moral support.

"All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"

"Uh… five?" Snotlout guessed.

The dragon was starting to get use to the noise and was once again barreling across the arena, slower this time.

"No, six!" Fishlegs forgot his reservation and lifted his bludgeon up as if to make sure that Gobber saw him answering. The top of the weapon got blasted and he shrieked and started running randomly.

"Correct, six! That's one fer each of ye! And yer out, Fishlegs."

Hiccup stopped advancing as the screaming boy was coming straight for him. With the dragon on his tail. At the sight, Hiccup ducked behind the nearest stockade, hesitating before tugging Fishlegs with him too. The dragon ignored them and went after the others.

"Fishlegs, stop yelling!" He finally snapped.

The stout boy fell silent, panting nervously. "Oh… what do we do? Hiccup, what do _I_ do? That _is_ Meatlug!"

"I don't know, Fish, I just – I… She seems kinda pissed off…" He finished lamely, sneaking a look outside. He had never expected the dragon to come out so aggressive. Toothless was hostile but didn't move to attack him at all.

"I would be too if I was locked up every day." Fishlegs muttered. A scream echoed behind them and Gobber called out Snotlout. "How are we going to win their trust when we have to fight them in Dragon Training, anyway? Gobber is gonna watch our every move…"

Hiccup frowned, seeing the truth in his words. "We have to talk about this together and come up with something. For now, we should just… survive I guess."

Gobber chose that moment to bang his fist against the wood. "Hiccup, get in there!"

The boys winced and got out of their safe place. Tuffnut was currently chasing his rolling shield and Snotlout was helping up a dazed Ruffnut. Astrid was moving everywhere. Alternating between yelling at the dragon and hitting her shield, she was trying to get the Gronckle's attention away from the others and to an emptier side of the ring. Their side. Fishlegs was stuck between running away again or standing with them.

"Fishlegs! Yer supposed ta be out! Get 'ere!"

"B-But…"

Hiccup nudged the boy and nodded. He then followed Astrid in drawing the dragon away so that Fishlegs could slip by to the rest.

"So, I guess it's just you and me, huh?"

Astrid snorted, unladylike but still so mesmerizing to watch. He almost forgot about the dragon until a stray shot forcefully dragged his feet back to the ground.

"Hiccup, move!" His feet snapped into action without a second thought. "One shot left!" Gobber bellowed from the sidelines.

Him and Astrid were circling the dragon, beating their shields and making her shake her head and growl at the constant annoyance.

"Keep at it!"

The dragon gave one loud roar and dropped to the ground, kicking towards the nearest target, which was Astrid. Hiccup gasped. The girl retreated, executing a perfect back flip when the boulder like tail of the Gronckle swiped where she'd been. She was trying to put some distance between them, using her shield to block her glancing strikes. But she was driven nearly all the way to the wall without much space to move.

When Hiccup concluded that Gobber wasn't going to stop the fight, he did something _stupid_. With a groan he held up his shield… and _threw_ it. It wasn't strong enough to smash to pieces once it hit the dragon but his objective was achieved when she turned incredulous eyes at him. And then charged.

He heard Gobber yell his name, but it wasn't as much of a concern as the angry Gronckle heading for him. He ran aimlessly, hearing the dragon crash against the ring wall as he turned. The axe was slowing him down so he ditched it, the loud clang as it hit the floor making him flinch.

"DUCK!"

He instinctively fell in a roll just in time to sense the warmth of fire pass overhead. He huffed, uncoiling quickly from his position and watched as Gobber wrestled the dragon with his hook.

"And that's six! Go back ta bed, ya overgrown sausage! Ye'll get another chance, don't ye worry." The smith threw her back in the pen and locked it. "Remember, a dragon will always, _always_, go for the kill."

He watched them carefully as Hiccup pushed himself up. Astrid was beside him while the others joined them, all looking wide-eyed and drained by the day's events. He tried to calm his frantic breathing but noted, happily, Astrid's twitching hands as if she wanted to help him but couldn't quite convince herself to.

"Well, that's about it fer today! It wasn't as bad as I though ye'd be but… eh, there'll still lots ta improve. Tonight we'll talk more at the Meade hall! Now shoo!" The teens left the arena while Gobber made sure that all the ramming and fire shooting didn't damage any of the locked gates or their levers.

Hiccup remembered to pick up the axe as he walked, slouching more and more with every step outside. There was no way for him to go back to the cove while he still had work to do at the shop. Maybe he could pull off the tired act and have Gobber let him go quicker, but there was no guarantee that Toothless would still be there. That thought alone was enough to both delight him and sour his mood.

"Ouch!" He cried clutching his shoulder from the sudden punch. "W-What?"

Astrid glared. "What were you thinking?"

"What was I – what? What are you talking about?"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut cackled behind him.

"Um… you kinda were chased by an angry dragon and almost got shot." Said Fishlegs seemingly worried for his metal state. "Are you okay?"

While very touched by their concern, Hiccup quickly waved it away. "I'm fine. The twins almost got shot too, y'know."

"Yeah… but they're the twins."

Snotlout sniffed. "It'll be a cold day in Hel when I'm worried about those muttonheads." At everyone's raised brows he quickly added. "And you! You too, Hiccup!"

"Anyway, I had it under control." Astrid continued, pushing away her bangs. "Don't do something dumb like that again, Haddock!" She emphasized her words with another punch.

Hiccup stumbled back. "If this is you caring, I think I'm good without." His mouth snapped shut when surprise passed over Astrid's eyes, and then regret. "I, uh…"

She shook her head and left.

Fishlegs blinked. "Huh."

Hiccup only sighed and started walking after the others. Ruffnut was poking at Astrid but when she got no response she joined her brother in teasing Snotlout again. He really hated his mouth sometimes. If he kept spouting out the first instinctual thing that came to him there was no way to make any progress with Astrid. He sometimes wished he would go back to being an awkward mess… Okay, maybe not. He knew she wasn't trying to be mean but he was used to back talking whenever Snotlout would pick on him. And Astrid's way of caring was too much like that in his opinion.

"So, uh, thanks for everything back then." Fishlegs' shy voice broke his thoughts into smoke.

"Oh, it's fine. Don't mention it."

"I mean it." When Hiccup looked at the taller blond it was to another sad face. "I–I wasn't a very good friend… and I wanted you to know that-that I'm really sorry, Hiccup."

"Hey, it's okay, Fish! I understand, I do!" Hiccup smiled honestly. He was glad to get an apology, as late as it was. It was better than never as he had initially expected.

"Still… it was not right to push you away like that. I – I promise I will be a better friend from now on, okay?" Hiccup nodded and Fishlegs broke into a relieved smile. "Do you wanna see the improved Book of Dragons?"

He was about to say 'Hel yeah', when the pile of unfinished work at the forge materialized into his mind. "Wow… uh, sorry Fishlegs! I can't right now! Gobber wants me at the shop, working until my hands bleed… again." He laughed at his friend's vaguely disturbed face.

"What?" The blonde squeaked.

"He's a bit cross with me since I've neglected my duty lately. It's nothing."

"Oh… well, maybe tonight. After the meeting?"

Hiccup started running ahead. "Sure, can't wait!" He waved over his shoulder smiling and was thankful to see the boy respond in kind. He really was lucky that he managed to patch up his friendship with Fishlegs somewhat. Now if only he wouldn't put his foot in his mouth around Astrid.

/\\\\\

It was almost sundown and Hiccup was truly exhausted. So exhausted he debated even going to the dragon training meeting. As he laid limp in his chair, Hiccup didn't want to move anymore, anywhere and for any reason. He spent minutes there, thinking about nothing. His mind, of its own accord, went to Toothless. Would he still be in the forest? Should he even go find him? It wasn't his intention the first time but a small glimmer of hope in his heart told him to try. To keep trying. It hurt more than he ever imagined to face that confused, unfamiliar stare that held none of the sincerity he remembered.

But he wanted to see him again. Why did he even come back? He tried to scare him during the raid, he made it clear he wanted nothing to do with Hiccup. So why did he start a hide-an-seek game and showed himself to Hiccup in _broad daylight_? Why bother with an insignificant Viking runt unless he reminisced something about him? Hiccup was baffled as to the Night Fury's reasoning, and it made him all the more curious to find out what was up.

With a grunt at the pain shooting up his arms and shoulders, Hiccup stood up, grabbed his vest and marched to his house. The fatigue was fading with each step. He was going to get back his bud, whether he knew it or not.

He didn't hesitate in the house; he went straight to their small food storage to get a fresh fish before he was leaving again, going down the winding path to the cove. By the time he reached it, the sky was more dark than bright and he was there. As Hiccup entered through the boulder gap, the Night Fury was standing near the edge of the lake. With his neck frills flared up, he looked a mix of surprised and on guard.

For a while they both stood frozen in place. There was no divider this time. No forest to stand between them, no foliage or trees to hide in, no ledge to show any difference. There were only a few meters away from each other and they were both weary of making the first step.

Hiccup decided to break their stalemate. He came closer, slowly and deliberately. Toothless was back in semi-hostile mode, hackles raised but eyes still wide and it encouraged the boy to continue. When a certain distance was reached the dragon growled softly and Hiccup stopped.

"Hey, bud." He said, fingers tightening over the fish. He didn't break eye contact as he stretched his arm out, holding the treat. "I don't wanna hurt you…" He continued slowly trying to coax a positive response. "Can't, even if I tried anyway."

He wasn't sure how long he maintained that position. It was getting dark and clouds were rolling in. Toothless twitched but inched forward, his whole body tense. He abruptly froze and snarled. His all of a sudden flashing teeth had Hiccup gasp and pull back slightly.

"W-What?" Toothless glared at his middle. He didn't know what to make of that until his hand felt the shape of the dagger he always wore on him. He quickly took it out of his belt and showed it to the dragon. "This? You-You don't like this, huh?" At the Nigh Fury's spiking growls, Hiccup threw it away without a second thought. "Ok, ok! It's gone now. It's fine."

Toothless calmed down. He watched him suspiciously for a few more seconds before he resumed his approach. His snout was close enough to sniff the fish and for Hiccup to see the scales on his skin. He tried to control his breathing, to stop his arm from trembling. Toothless was not going to hurt him, he had to believe that. But still, the sight of those sharp fangs closing in on his hand was making it hard for him to keep his arm out like that.

It was a brief eye contact before the fish was ripped from his fingers and the dragon was ten steps away from him gulping down the treat and licking his gums. Hiccup jumped at the quick action, his arm snapping back to his chest before he even realized anything.

He breathed out, lips jerking into a smile. "Not bad, right?"

The dragon, much more relaxed now, tilted his head. They considered each other for a few minutes. Toothless wasn't nervous anymore. If anything he looked like he was trying to figure out something and Hiccup had no idea how he could read that on a reptile face. A thunder clap had them both jump and turn to the sky. The heavens were covered in angry black clouds.

Hiccup winced. "I need to go… uh…" Toothless' frills flicked up at the storm noises so Hiccup took that as his cue to retreat. "See you later… I hope."

He knew the dragon's keen eyes were following him back to the entrance. When he was on top of the cliff, he looked down in the darkened space to find it empty. With a sigh he didn't know was disappointed or not, he fled back to the village.


	5. See You Tomorrow

**Hello guys! It has been a while; I know... But the truth is that I haven't been writing for this story at all lately. I still have future chapters done but I kinda wanted to have all of them and then start posting consistently. Well, I guess that's not gonna be. Maybe by the end of the year this will be complete? I don't know, I have another huge project that I'm working on that I also want to post by the end of the year. **

**It's a 'How to Train Your Dragon'/'Game of Thrones' crossover, but not a fic. It's kinda like the stories dump that I also have but much, MUCH bigger and it's mostly all the information, worldbuilding, history required TO build a proper AU story. I think I have about 20k words so far and that's only the timeline for less than 200 years. Beside that I have many files and lists detailing other aspects of Viking society in the world of 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. This is one of the best things I've ever come up with and I can't wait to publish it.**

**In any case, there are still about 5 chapter that are mostly done before reaching the climax of the story (which I haven't even started on). I'm going to push myself to just write them already (because editing is so much easier) and... hopefully, by the end of the year this fic will be finished.**

**Thank you very much for your response so far! I'm so happy you're enjoying this series.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: See You Tomorrow**

He was soaked to the bone by the time he reached the great hall. The heavens split open while he was still in the woods and by the time Hiccup reached the Meade Hall, the streets were empty and he was left trudging alone down the path. He wished he would have gone to his home instead. The fatigue that he stubbornly ignored earlier came back twice as strong, especially in such horrid weather. Even so, Hiccup was in a good mood.

It wasn't much progress with Toothless, in his opinion, but considering his blunder he thanked the Gods for the dragon's curiosity. If they would continue like this, meeting every day and getting to know each other better, there was only a matter of time before they would figure out what was really going on with the war and then… he wasn't sure how his father would take it. No, that wasn't it! Hiccup had no idea how they would go about _convincing_ his father to give the dragons a chance. He definitely wouldn't be in any listening mood if he showed up on dragon back.

Maybe his mother could do something about it…

Hiccup pursed his lips as his thoughts derailed more and more on that particular matter. _Should_ he do somethings about that? Him and Toothless were barely on the tolerating-each-other's-presence stage, could he entertain the idea of flying off who-knows-where in search of her just yet? The only thing he knew was that she was North. Much further North than the Archipelago and he hadn't even been flying on a dragon yet. His pace slowed as he got absorbed in his mind, the pouring rain barely even noticed.

He could… The moment his bond with the Night Fury strengthened he could hop on and go away. He could travel away in search of his mother and when he'd reunite with her, they could figure something out. His chest ached and his eyes burned despite the drops of salty water falling from above.

He shook his head and the cold suddenly came back to his senses. It was raining, he was exhausted and he was dragging his feet through mud up to his thighs while thinking of 'what-if's'. Yeah, he _could_. He could leave once he got Toothless on his side.

Didn't mean he _should_ though.

The Hall was warm and dry. Hiccup sighed, shaking away the thoughts as he pushed the doors open with some difficulty. So late in the evening, there weren't many people left hanging around. He spotted the group of his peers and Gobber around a table in a corner and trudged up to them.

"Oh, ye finally decided ta join us?" Gobber smirked when he caught his approach. He was leaning on the table next to theirs, brandishing the Book of Dragons in one hand. "So, where did Hiccup go wrong taday?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, reasoning the smith probably though the workload he shoved on him in the morning was to blame for his lateness. He wasn't going to disappoint him.

"You mean, before or after he hid for half of the fight?" Taunted Snotlout.

The heir ignored him and sat next to Astrid when she shifted to make some space. She pushed an untouched bowl of porridge and chicken in front of him and he forced his arms to take it. He was pretty hungry but the appetite just wasn't there. He tried to at least pretend he was thankful.

"He never thinks before acting."

He had a feeling Astrid meant that in more than one way. Chancing a glance at the shield maiden and yep, she was watching him in a very stern manner. Hiccup felt suddenly ashamed and guilty. He should apologize for earlier. Maybe, actually talk to her about it and try to get her to understand.

"Thank ye, Astrid. Ye need ta live and breathe this stuff. The Dragon Manual." Gobber tossed the book in the middle of the table. "Everything we know about every dragon we know of."

He took a moment to watch them, from Fishlegs' quiet excitement, to the twins' horror and Snotlout's displeasure. Hiccup got the weird feeling Gobber was searching for something. He knew that the blacksmith was suspicious; Gobber already tried to interrogate him before but the conversation got derailed by Astrid talk and, as embarrassing as it was, it helped divert the main topic. And now, he was sitting with the others, something that he hasn't done in forever. In fact, if it wasn't for Astrid motioning for him to come, he would have sat down at the next table. Snotlout was still a mocking jerk but it was far tamer than before, and the twins only laughed a little.

The man nodded, finally looking up when it thundered outside. "No attacks tonight. Study up."

"Wait, you mean, actually _read_?" Tuffnut said.

"While we're still alive?" Ruffnut groaned right after.

Gobber sighed and walked away. Hiccup agreed, there was only so much he could stomach everyone at the same time.

"Hah, we've been over this." Snotlout sauntered away. "Have fun, nerds!"

"Not so quick, Snotlout!"

He halted when Astrid called, taken aback. He recovered, shooting a smug grin at Hiccup. "Don't worry, babe, I didn't mean you. But since you insist, we can go now to my place and work out, what do you say?"

The blonde stood up, her face darkening with violence. Hiccup instinctively touched her arm. He recoiled when she directed her glare at him. Totally not forgiven.

"So what? You want us to read it?" Tuffnut held the corner of the book between two fingers as if it would leap at his face and attack him any time soon.

"While it would surely be good for you, no. That's not what I meant. We need to talk about what we're gonna do." She crossed her arms over her chest and regarded everyone with too haughty of an expression. "Unless you've all forgotten about the centuries old war between Vikings and dragons."

Hiccup stifled his yawn. He really believed the girl was correct and that they should actually sit down and come up with a strategy. But, on the other hand, he was about ready to collapse, everyone was tired and irritated by their first day in Dragon Training, and she was talking to the twins and Snotlout. Not the best combination. As predicted, the two blonde disasters were already glassy eyed and Snotlout was holding himself back from grumbling in her face.

Fishlegs dragged the book to him, his fingers gliding over the dragon sigil on the front. "We're still pretty much stuck on that though. Short of bonding with the dragons outside of Dragon Training, I don't know how we'll get them to trust us."

His words sparked attention in the twins.

"You mean…" Begun Tuffnut.

"Release the dragons and let them blow stuff up?" Finished Ruffnut.

Fishlegs and Astrid stared at them nonplussed.

"Would you just let that go?" Groused Snotlout exasperated. "Jeez…"

"I'm not sure if we can do that…" Astrid spoke, answering Fishleg's proposal. "There are guards posted at the Ring after training is done, so going in and releasing the dragons would certainly make them notice what we're up to."

"What if we let them go and then train them in the forest secretly?" Said Snotlout, a hint of surprising cheerfulness in his voice at the idea.

Fishlegs was quick to shoot that down. "What makes you think the dragons won't just fly away when they are free?"

He gritted his teeth. "Shut up, Fishlegs."

A loud yawn broke through the conversation. Hiccup blushed when everyone turned to look at him. "Ah, sorry about that… I had a long day…"

"I think we all are a bit nervous about this." Mumbled Fishlegs, still fingering the spine of the book. "I think we should discuss this at a later date." He added after another thunder clap.

Astrid stood up, her palms slapping on the table. "And when exactly do you think we should? _After_ we're done with Dragon Training?"

"How about when we don't drop from exhaustion?" Fishlegs said just as fired up.

His sudden nerve had Hiccup blinking owlishly at him. "Come on, guys. There's no point in fighting amongst ourselves. I do agree with Fishlegs though… maybe we should get some sleep and calm down after today…"

Astrid's glare didn't diminish but when she looked him in the eyes, he caught the flash of hurt and disappointment. _'Gods, Astrid, please don't do that… I don't always have to agree with you.' _She picked up her axe and spun on her heels towards the door without a word.

"Well, that went well." Smirked Snotlout. His infuriating cackling continued on the way out. He was most likely trying to cozy up to Astrid now that Hiccup was stumbling.

The heir slumped, his head crashing on the table. The bowl of porridge and chicken was half eaten but he didn't care. The twins asked for it, so Hiccup waved for them to take it and go. When the doors closed for one last time, Fishlegs took a deep breath.

"You and Astrid don't seem to be… clicking anymore."

"Clicking." His deadpan might have come off as irritated, he wasn't sure.

The bigger teen sputtered. "I – I mean… you guys seemed on the same page at first, and now you're… uh…"

"That would be my fault…" Hiccup sighed dejected. "I need to talk to her, I know. I'll get to that… at some point."

Fishlegs studied him for a beat. "Are you okay? Did you have trouble with your work?"

Hiccup pondered telling him about Toothless. What would that accomplish anyway? Saying it would only remind himself of his failure. He didn't even have the resolve to do what had to be done. Toothless had no reason to stick around. Yes, he was dropping by for a few days but what reassurance did Hiccup had that the dragon wouldn't just leave and never return. They had a good thing going on, but how long would it last. That lingering fear kept him from opening his mouth.

If only Hiccup had hit him on the cliff… If only Toothless was – _NO_! What was he thinking? _Intentionally_ crippling his best friend for life was no way to forge a relationship with someone. He felt ashamed, disgusted, at even considering doing that. Toothless didn't deserve it. If Toothless didn't stay, then… that meant that the only reason he stayed back then was _because_ he had no other choice. Hiccup scrunched his eyes shut. The moisture gathering was blinked away and Hiccup stood up, managing not to sway.

"Hiccup?"

The concern in the other boy's voice was appreciated but Hiccup really wanted to be alone.

"I'm fine, Fishlegs. Sorry I can't go over the book with you."

The blonde smiled sadly. "It's fine. You should get some rest."

With a nod, the young heir walked away, back in the pouring rain that masked his frustrated tears born from fatigue and pessimism.

/\\\\\

The next day, the Kill Ring was very noisy.

"Taday is all about attack! Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Yer job it to be quicker and lighter."

Overnight – Hiccup couldn't understand how he did it – Gobber had constructed a maze inside the arena. The walls were tall and hard to miss, and he wondered if those things were always used to train recruits or the blacksmith was a special kind of sadist. The man just left them inside, released the Nadder and was now lounging outside, on one of the chains of the metal net.

And he was being a smartass as well.

"Come on, yer not even trying!"

Well, duh!

The dragon was busy tracking them among the twisting turns of the walls, but the teens weren't making any effort in going after her to begin with. Maybe Astrid wanted to, but for a slew of other reasons than Gobber believed.

"He is crazy!" Snotlout said, holding his shield closer.

"I'm really beginning to question his teaching methods." Fishlegs added.

Hiccup looked at them blankly. "And you've just realize that after years of hearing him sing Snoggletog carols."

The dragon roared and started to hit the walls at random. Astrid hissed at them to move and the group took off. At some point, the collapsing structure separated them. Ruffnut dragged her brother from the path of a falling splintered log, only to turn a corner and find themselves face to face with the Nadder.

"Ugh, do you ever bathe?" Since she ended up behind Tuffnut, the comment was obviously aimed at him and not the stinking breath of the dragon.

"That's _it_! Look for its blind spot. Find it, hide in it and strike!" Gobber instructed from above.

The twins followed his words, staying right in front of the Nadder's frontal spike and moving at the same time she did.

"If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot!" He started to push her with his elbows at which the girl responded with a punch to the back of his head.

"How about I give you one!"

Their wrestling distracted them from the dragon, who finally caught sight of the two and growled.

"Blind spot, yes. Deaf spot? Not so much! Hehehe!"

They started running back the way they came, the raging reptile right at their heels. Until Astrid came from a side hallway and threw a piece of wood at her.

"Hey, come this way!"

Not-yet-Stormfly switched her targets, going after the shield maiden who was much more agile and quick as she maneuvered through the half broken down maze. She controlled her breathing as she sprinted, slapping the walls to draw the Nadder's attention whenever she picked on something else. Astrid didn't know what to do when she would catch up to her, but she couldn't risk anyone else accidentally hurting her girl.

If there was anyone who would take care of this dragon training session, it had to be her. Stormfly was hers and even if she didn't recognize her, Astrid had to be the one to look after her. The path in front was blocked by a toppled wall. That didn't deter the blonde. She pushed with her legs and leaped over the wood, running on it until she was climbing over the tops.

Not-yet-Stormfly screeched, and she heard her tearing through the panels to follow. Astrid didn't waste a second. She was already jumping over the wood, running on the thickness of the walls just as the Nadder nimbly did behind her. Their actions ended up destroying whatever was left of the maze and for a moment Astrid spared the thought of the others. She hoped they didn't get caught under the structure.

"Astrid!" Hiccup's voice drew her attention to the group gathered next to the edge of the Kill Ring. She turned her direction to go towards them, aware of the infuriated dragon behind her and her poor footing. Her ground broke apart and she floated in the air for a few seconds. Snotlout rushed beneath to catch her and Astrid pondered if breaking a leg was worth seeing the look on his face when he didn't catch her.

She didn't have to worry. Ruffnut pushed him away and with Fishlegs' help, they managed to break her fall. Unfortunately, the dragon had no problem. She flapped her wings once and she was safely on the ground, baring fangs at the teens.

"HEADS UP!" Tuffnut cackled as he threw his shield at not-yet-Stormfly. "Learned that from you!" He threw in Hiccup's direction.

Astrid cringed but it worked to distract her away from the downed trio. Hiccup was behind the male twin, banging his axe against the shield and making a ruckus. Snotlout cried out and run away with Tuffnut when the Nadder gave chase. They split when they reached Hiccup, who was standing in front of a miraculously standing wall.

Astrid made to ran at him but she had no chance of getting there in time. What was that stupid boy doing now?

When the Nadder was almost upon him, Hiccup dropped his weapons and dove sideways. Right in between two collapsed boards that would hopefully protect him when the dragon would ram headfirst into the wall. Which she did. And they did. Gobber was hobbling towards the dazed dragon and using a hook and a shield he marched the confused beast back in her pen.

"Well, that was better than b'fore." He regarded the sweaty, dusty teenagers with a grin. "Allright, fer tonight we'll meet at the Watchtower ta discuss. Get cleaned up till then."

He didn't wait for their agreement as he left the arena. Hiccup was hoping he wouldn't have to help him clean up the place. He was still jazzed up by their session and he needed to take a walk to calm down… maybe go to the cove and see if Toothless was around. He was about to follow when a hand grabbed the back of his best.

"Hold up!" Astrid's grip was unyielding, but her face was gentle. "I need to talk with you."

"Uh… only me?"

He pointed a finger at himself and she rolled her eyes. A direct contrast to the glare that told everyone to scram. Once they retrieved their weapons and shields and were out of the arena, Astrid released his vest. She tucked her bangs behind an ear, hesitating.

"Y'know, I don't think this is a good place to talk." Hiccup muttered.

Astrid nodded and let him lead the way. He wasn't sure what to expect out of this but since they were given this chance, Hiccup figured he might as well explain himself. He didn't want Astrid to be mad at him anymore and from what he noticed, neither did she. Perhaps, he could even break the news about Toothless to her.

He mentally shook himself. He wanted to make peace with her, not give her anymore reason to be cross with him. But if he continued to keep Toothless a secret from the rest, what good would it do for their plan? Not that they had one, but he was starting to feel guilty for hiding this from them. If anyone, his peers would understand best what he was going through.

But _he_ didn't even know what was going on. He had no clue if he was actually making progress with Toothless or not. The dragon refused to be touched and he was incredibly wary of Hiccup getting too close. No! He had to carry on and see how far he could go. Until he would make a breakthrough, he would keep this to himself. There was no point in making them more concerned and on edge than they already were.

The two stopped at a clearing on the other side of the bridge. There wasn't a lot of vegetation considering the mountainous area but they were still some distance away from the road and they would be able to see anyone approaching.

"So, what's wrong, Astrid?"

The girl stopped with her hands on her hips. Her blonde fringe was again falling in her eyes and she brushed it aside. Oh, twice in five minutes? She was very nervous.

"I wanted to apologize." She took a deep breath, blue eyes uncharacteristically shy as she looked at him. "I may have been too… forceful with you and the others. I understand this situation is delicate but, I can't – I don't know how… ugh, I'm not making any sense…" She growled, hand pulling on her bangs again. "Look, this is not how I do things. If there is a problem, I'm going to fix it right away. But we can't do that now, there is too much at risk. And I trust you to guide us through this, I do! But it's just so frustrating how everyone just keep going on as if there's nothing wrong! Everything is wrong! And nobody seems to take this seriously except from me.

"The twins are treating this like a joke, Snotlout is more concerned with flirting with me, Fishlegs is all about that _stupid_ book and _you_? You're just - not _here_! Ugh! I feel like, even when you're with us, you're a million miles away. It's so annoying having to keep everyone on track, like they have better things to do when we should be focused on the dragons. They're right there and we can't do anything to help them! Stormfly was so angry and, did-did you see her?" She started pacing and gesticulating like mad. Hiccup had never seen Astrid so worked up.

"She was skin and bones but she still came out of her cage like a storm and chased us around! She never used her fire, as weak as she was, she was still holding back on us! Hiccup, please, I need your help. How long are we going to do this? How long are we going to go in there and run around our dragons and watch them suffer? I can't - I can't do this on my own and protect everyone at the same time. If I do, then… might as well free them now and be done with this."

"Astrid…"

"If we're going to continue playing along with Gobber, I don't how long I'll hold on. I'm afraid that I will end up doing something bad…"

Hiccup wasn't sure what to do. The girl was working herself up in a frenzy. The more she talked, the more Hiccup felt his heart shatter at her frustration. But he was wordless. He had never imagined that Astrid Hofferson of all people was capable of such a reaction. She was so calm and collected, always there to straightened out the others. But now she was the one that needed someone's help. She was the one that needed reassuring. Hiccup gulped. What could he do?

An image of them kissing sprouted in his mind. No way! He was going to faint before his lips would be anywhere near her face. He almost slapped himself. Astrid was by herself with worry and he was thinking of how to put the moves on her. Gods, he was just like Snotlout.

What Astrid needed was a friend, and now that he thought about it, he hasn't really been there for her. Whenever they would meet, it was always Astrid that moved the conversation. She was the one stressing how important it was for them to plan; she was the one reminding them how much was at stake… She counted on him to support her but he was keeping secrets from her instead…

Hiccup grabbed her flaying hand to catch her attention. Seeing those blue eyes almost tearing up brought the worst pain imaginable to his soul. It was just as bad as realizing that Toothless forgot him; just as bad as returning to an empty, cold house. He didn't say anything as he hugged her. He didn't have words for how sorry he was, but he hoped that she would be able to understand him nonetheless. He felt her arms coming up behind him and squeeze his furry coat.

"We'll save Stormfly, Astrid! I promise you. You two will be reunited soon." And if her choked breathes against his shoulder drove the knife deeper in his heart, he ignored it. "I'm so sorry for ignoring how you felt…"

He couldn't stop the tears sliding down his cheeks. He pressed his face in her hair and held her. Gods, maybe they both needed this. He was so depressed lately, the only think that could cheer him was the hope that Toothless would be there, waiting at the cove. And even after, when he was going back home alone, and with that constant fear that he wouldn't be there the next time… He didn't realize how much that thought weighted him down. He was used to the burden on his shoulders but, even _he_ had a limit, and he hadn't notice how close he was to that.

He had to tell her. If anything, they would be each other's anchor.

/\\\\\

As Hiccup stepped down from the slope, it was to an unoccupied cove. The sky was bright, but it wasn't long until the sun would set and they would have to gather at the Watchtower to hear how Gobber lost his limbs. The others may not know, but he did. In excruciating detail.

After telling Astrid about everything, and in that he included all his fears and doubts, the young shield maiden had promised not to reveal this to the others until Hiccup was ready. When that would be, he had no idea but it probably involved some flying. And for the purpose of hastening the process, he brought an entire basket of fish. Different types, just to be sure.

He dragged the bag closer to the boulders, where they would be in the shade of the wall and sat down. And waited. At some point, he pulled out his book and started doodling. Some of those sketches even resembled the missing Night Fury, as best as he could, considering it was from memory.

The day went on like that until the sun had crawled all the way behind the trees. Hiccup sighed, throwing his charcoal pen between two pages and then closing the notebook. He wanted to stay some more, just to make sure he wouldn't miss the dragon but it was getting late. He also had to tell Astrid how things progressed. Nothing too long winded about that.

'_He didn't come.'_

He glanced at the fish and pondered if it was worth carrying the heavy basket all the way back to the village. By the time that thought finished he was already walking away. In case Toothless would come, he would at least know that Hiccup dropped by. That reassurance wasn't as good as he wanted it to feel.

/\\\\\

At the top of one of Berk's many watch towers were Gobber and his six trainees, each one holding a stick with fish over the glowing fire.

"… and with one twist, he took my hand, and swallowed it whole. And ah saw the look on its face… Ah was delicious. He must have passed the word, 'cause it wasn't a month b'fore another one of them took mah leg."

The smith laughed, taking a bite out of his meal. His brows fell in a frown after not hearing any sort of comments to his story. Hiccup was holding his food lifelessly in front of him, not even caring if it was cooking or not. Astrid was sitting next to him but her eyes were more often than not on the boy, and Gobber would say that, so was her focus. Fishlegs was looking sick but he didn't consider that an unusual reaction. What was interesting was that Snotlout seemed to be in the same boat as him. The twins were the only ones who showed something other than disgust or apathy, but playing with the sticks as if they were swords was still something he didn't expect.

"Something the matter, lads?" They all flinched, as if just realizing they were supposed to be doing something else.

Astrid cleared her throat. "Uh, no, no! That was a very… inspirational story, Gobber." Muted agreements followed her words but none of them meant it, and some didn't even know what they were agreeing on.

"Ye know… I'm not as stupid as ah look." There was a sudden alertness in their postures. "You lot have been acting very suspicious as of late. Care ta tell dear ol' Gobber what yer all hiding?"

He enjoyed seeing them squirm. All six of them were looking at anything but him with wide eyes and pursed lips. It was only a matter of time before someone spilled.

"We don't know what you're talking about!" Ah, so it was Tuffnut. Not surprising. "Nu-uh! No way… Hiding? Pfft! Who's that?"

The male twin half covered his face with one hand and winked at the others. Gobber was _not_ impressed. Astrid and Snotlout looked murderous, Fishlegs seemed like he was going to hyperventilate himself into passing out and Hiccup slumped down in defeat. How did they event think they had a chance?

"Yeah, yer totally fooling me…" He drawled, playing along.

"Of course we are." He froze. "I mean, not that we are, 'cause we're not! Fooling you that is… I mean we are 'are', but not fooling you, oh no! I meant in the sense that we exist, as in we are. So we are 'are'… are?"

Everyone stared at him.

"…What?" Snotlout said confused.

Tuffnut pulled back panicked. "I mean we're not hiding anything! But we would say that if we were, but saying it would also mean that we want you to think that so we would say that we do… and we are… but not hiding… uh that… and… uh-uh…" Tuffnut shot to his feet, hands tugging down his face. "IT'S NOT A TATTOO, IT'S A BIRTHMARK! DON'T TELL MOM!"

"Hah?"

Nobody moved except for Tuffnut's dramatic breathing. Gobber didn't know what to make of it.

"So, the secret is… that you got a tattoo?"

"NO!... maybe…"

"… Alright!" The smith stood up. He was done with them for today. "Class dismissed!"


	6. Forbidden Friendship

**I think this is the last chapter that is done. The next few ones are either not finished or not edited. There are still plot points that I need to work on and unfortunately I haven't been that productive lately. I am a procrastinator after all…**

**Well, either way, here's some Hiccup/Toothless fluff! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Forbidden Friendship**

The next morning, Hiccup was trudging through the forest, bright and early. The blunder last night almost killed him, he had no idea how he managed to stay conscious through the whole charade. He wasn't sure if he was grateful to Tuffnut or if he wanted to strangle him. He didn't remember the last time he had such a scare.

Nevertheless, their secret was salvaged by a tattoo. Which he didn't even know existed. Ruffnut thankfully started talking after Tuffnut went into a terrified trance and then they managed to add to the lie and smooth things out with Gobber. Fortunately, he wasn't going to tell the Thorston matriarch, but Hiccup had a feeling that one wrong move and the blacksmith would be on them once more.

Still, that was a close call. With all the headaches of dealing with the others, his oscillating success with Toothless and… Astrid in general, Hiccup forgot about the adults. He had dealt with Gobber before but he should have known that the old smith wouldn't give up on him. He wondered if his father was in on this. Gobber, normally, wouldn't pass the chance of teasing him behind his back, but even so, his father didn't show any inkling of keeping his eye out for Hiccup after they returned.

So maybe he just didn't care…

In any case, he had work to do. Their next lesson was in the afternoon so he had plenty of time to check the cove and see if the Night Fury came by during the night. He wanted to believe he did. Before going down the slope, he peeked over the edge, trying to spot any dark shape. To his surprise, he did. His body seized up, not making any sounds that would alert the dragon of his presence. Not yet. He wanted to see what Toothless would do all on his own.

Toothless was sniffing around the basket. No wonder, the fish inside it must have been very appealing to him. He was perched up on the rocks, going around the object with wide, curious eyes. With one paw, he gently nudged the container, as if to ascertain how dangerous it was. When nothing happened, the dragon leaped down, pushing it from another angle. When it toppled over, all the fish from yesterday spilled out in a slimy mess on the grass.

Toothless made a happy sound and Hiccup almost aww-ed. He decided now was as good as any time to make his presence known. When he entered through the opening, the dragon didn't run off as he expected. He found him watching him, his head moving from Hiccup to the basket. The human could read the question on his face.

He chuckled. "Yeah, that's for you. I've brought it the other day but you didn't show up so… I just left it here." He stopped at a good distance away and motioned for Toothless to go ahead and eat.

The dragon was happy to oblige. He dug into the feast without a second thought, slurping fish from the pile with hardly any room for breathing. Hiccup asked himself how long had it been since he had a good meal, only for himself. He stood on the side and watched the Night Fury stuff his face, when a shriek almost made him jump out of his skin.

"W-What's wrong? Toothless?" The dragon was backing away from the basket, fangs in sight and eyes the size of needles. "What's the matter?"

Hiccup forgot any fears he previously had about the dragon and approached to see what happened. He didn't see anything, just a bunch of smelly fish that he bought from the docks. There were salmon, cods and he even got a whole smoked eel. What had the Night Fury so spooked? He grimaced as he rummaged around with one arm, trying to see if there was anything underneath.

"Ugh, I don't see anything, bud." He nudged some fish towards him and picked up the eel, as much as he hated it. "There's nothing – " A terrified cry halted his words. One glance at him and Hiccup understood. "You… don't like this?"

He extended his hand with the eel towards him and Toothless growled in warning. "O-Okay! It's fine, it's fine." He threw the it away, near the exit and stepped back from the pile, hands wiping off the mucus on his clothes. "Yeah, I don't like eel that much either…"

With his job done, Hiccup let Toothless come closer again, sniffing to make sure there wasn't anything dangerous in his food. After that little incident, the dragon finished in record time and stepped away to lick his paws clean.

Hiccup decided to sit down at some point. When Toothless was done, they simply stared at each other for a while. The heir wanted to try and touch him this time but he didn't want to scare him off if he made the first move. To his shock, he didn't have too. The dragon was approaching him, very slowly and in a very roundabout way. He was taking small steps, back arched and tail swishing behind him.

It was funny to watch but he worried that even the tiniest of sounds would scare him and the dragon would reconsider coming any closer. Hiccup just let him do his thing and didn't move. He merely tracked his movements and smiled encouragingly.

Finally, he crouched in front of Hiccup, eyes round and friendly. Hiccup wanted to reach out when a hack stopped him. Toothless was… doing something. He was coughing, his throat convulsing violently. Hiccup watched him, slowly leaning back. He was pondering if he should get up and run before the dragon would actually throw up on him. He didn't get a chance, though. The dragon pulled back his head and then spit half of a fish right in his lap.

Hiccup wanted nothing more than to stand up and jump in the lake. The head of the fish was covered in saliva and Gods knew what else and it was sitting wet and disgusting right on him.

"Ugh…"

Toothless sat down on his rump. He looked at him, waiting.

"Ugh, w-what?"

With two fingers he picked up the fish, cringing on the inside the whole time. He raised the fish to eye level and then glanced at the dragon. Toothless didn't react. His frills raised up and Hiccup took that as a sign that he was content.

"What exactly do you want me to do with this?"

As if understanding him – of course, he could – Toothless licked his lips. At Hiccup's stricken face he did it again. And then swallowed.

Oh, Gods! He wasn't serious…

"Uh… bud, this is not – I mean humans can't – "

The Night Fury narrowed his eyes and swallowed again. He eyed the fish and then Hiccup.

"Oh, no…"

Still, Hiccup complied. He touched the gooey thing more firmly, trying to suppress the shudder running down his back. Things were about to get way worse. He pulled the half to his lips, eyes twitching from it to Toothless. He wasn't even blinking. Was he doing it intentionally? Was it some sort of dragon ritual? Did he really want to go through with this?

No, he really didn't. But what choice did he have?

'_Just do it! Don't think about it!'_

He took a bite. He tried his best to ignore the crunch of scales, the gooey taste of saliva sticking to his lips. It was the most humiliating and sickening thing he had ever done in his life. And Snotlout made him eat bugs before.

Toothless was watching him intensely, his wide blown green eyes never faltering from his face. Hiccup had some choice words for him but he was stuck with a mouth full of raw fish dipped in dragon stomach fluid.

He almost hurled at that thought.

'_Come on, Haddock! Get it over with!'_

He swallowed. The bite almost came back put he managed to push it down, his whole body shaking with the effort.

"Ack – ugh… yuck…" He gave Toothless a teary eyed smile. "Okay… it was, uh, delicious…"

He didn't want to stay there any longer. Toothless observed carefully, as if watching for any sign that he hadn't actually done it. When he reached a conclusion, he gave a small nod. And then, he did something amazing.

His lips pulled back revealing toothless gums. It was awkward and he grumbled, finding the action painful. It was kind of ugly and scary with the saliva dripping down from his open mouth but Gods, he was really trying. Hiccup gasped and slowly reached with his hand. Toothless immediately noticed. The smile turned menacing when the teeth dropped down and he growled. He swished around, raising a gust of wind as he leaped down to the lake.

Hiccup followed him, a bit let down as he headed to drink some water.

"I'll… see you later, I guess." On the way out, he picked up the forgotten eel.

/\\\\\

"Taday is all about teamwork. Now, a wet dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, the other head lights it. Yer job is ta know which is which."

Gobber must have been having a lot of fun. There they were, back in the ring, holding buckets of water and frightfully circling each other in the thick of the green mist that was not-yet-Barf-and-Belch's _inflammable_ gas. Hiccup was paired up with Fishlegs, who while logical and smart to have on your side, fell apart under pressure. The boy was trembling like a leaf, constantly running statistics under his breath about their negative chances and not making Hiccup feel any better. The raw fish from the morning was still sitting in his belly and he didn't want to think about the bathroom situation later. But Fishlegs was really working his patience.

"Razor sharp, serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion. Prefers ambush attack, but crushing its victim – "

"Would you be please stop that?" He finally snapped. "If they wanted us dead they would have lit the gas a long time ago!"

The boy winced. "Sorry…"

Hiccup sighed. It wasn't his fault. He just wasn't feeling well enough for this.

Cackling noises filled the air. Hiccup was certain the dragon was amused and probably happy to be out, as little as it would last. And if they got to have some fun, all the better. He had no doubt that this one truly belonged with the twins.

A splash of water was heard further away. Hiccup couldn't make out anything besides some shadows and Ruffnut's indignant voice.

"Hey, it's us, idiots!"

"Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a dragon."

Hiccup groaned. Tuffnut just had to say that. As expected, the next thing he heard was the smack of a punch and the thud of a bucket hitting a helmeted head.

"Oh, I'm hurt! I'm very much hurt!"

A shush from Astrid had everyone quiet down. The cackling was back and with it, a green, sinuous head flew out of the fog. The Zippleback dipped in and out of Fishleg's range, what looked like a smug grin on his face. Yeah, they were totally playing with them.

"Do it, Fishlegs!"

The blonde flinched at the gruff yelled. He heaved the bucket up and threw it. The head didn't move. He just stood there and took the hit. And then started spewing gas, cackling the whole time.

"Oh, wrong head…"

From their other side came the second head. This one was the one with the spark seeing as he was already mocking them with small, short bursts as he swung around them. Hiccup didn't wait. He gripped the rim of the bucket and threw it at the dragon. The only thing not-yet-Belch needed to do was raise his neck up a bit. The water arched in the air and then splashed on the ground without a single drop touching scales.

"Oh, come on!"

Fishlegs gasped when both heads reared back to attack. And then, Hiccup was in front of him and the Zippleback was… retreating. As the fog dissipated, everyone got to see, small, twig Hiccup steer a dragon ten times his size back in his pen with only his bare hands.

"Back! Back you go! Yes, that's right! Back in your cage." When the dragon was fully in the pen, Hiccup closed the doors, secured them and then brushed off his hands.

On the other side of the ring, everyone was staring in shock.

"O-kay, so we're done? Because I've got some things I need to… Yep, I'll… see you later."

And then he was out of the arena like his butt was on fire. By the time he was crossing the bridge, Astrid caught up to him. With no warning, she grabbed him from the collar and dragged him to the side, in the same clearing where they talked yesterday.

"What. Was. That!"

Hiccup smirked. He lifted the vest off his shoulder and revealed the eel. Astrid's face switched to puzzlement.

"Who knew, right? Turns out dragons are afraid of eels." Her mouth opened but no words came out. Hiccup snorted. "I brought some food for Toothless the other day. You should have seen his reaction when he saw this in the basket. Not even the Alpha scared him like that."

The shield maiden crossed her arms. Her face looked stern but there was a quirk to her mouth that was plain obvious to him. "And you thought that it would be fine to experiment with that without even telling us." As teasing as she was, Hiccup felt a pang of shame at ignoring his friends _again_.

"I… uh… didn't think…"

Astrid shook her head. "Come on, dragon boy. We're taking this to Fishlegs. Right now!"

He nodded. She was going back to the arena, where he supposed the others remained petrified at that miracle event.

"Astrid?"

She hummed.

"I'm really not good at this. Friends, I mean."

"Huh, you don't say."

He ducked his head at the reprimand. He felt something warm touch his hand and wide eyes shot down to see Astrid had wrapped her fingers around his wrist. She was tugging him a bit too harshly to be an intimate moment but he didn't care. Gods, they were holding hands, someplace where anyone could see.

"Stop going on your own." She continued. "I think we've established yesterday that doing things by one's self is not good."

They saw the rest of the group waiting in front of the gate. Gobber was finishing closing the door and waved at them. He still seemed in shock but he only gave Hiccup a once over before telling them to hurry up for dinner and that tomorrow they'll meet at noon again. When the smith was out of sight, Astrid faced everyone and declared with some edge, to Hiccup's chagrin.

"I think we ought to have a new rule here. Until we got this whole situation figured out, we don't keep secrets from each other, alright?" She stared at all of them until she was sure they understood and consented. "And now, Hiccup has _a lot_ of things to tell us."

"What happened to 'when I'm ready'?"

At her withering look, Hiccup instinctively bunched his shoulders.

/\\\\\

The Dark-Scale didn't leave that night. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to fly away and be _her_ watch-dragon again. _Her_ Influence was far. He could still hear _her_ voice in the back of his mind, purring with mesmerizing clarity that he had to go, he had to protect and retrieve _her_ propriety. He wanted to. If not for _her_ than for his kin, those who stood defenseless to _her_ wrath and dived right in the path of arrows and blades.

He felt guilty for abandoning them but he still couldn't leave. Last night was brutal. The humans were unrelenting and fierce and they always chucked things at him whenever he appeared and saved the others. That was a tribe from which they didn't steal very often, just because of their savageness and determination to take down dragons along with each other.

The Dark-Scale was tired and hungry. When he caught the scent of fish originating from the same cove he was wary, but nevertheless, his empty stomach won over. The human had set up fish for him overnight. He didn't know how to react at first. Vikings didn't do that. Then again, this particular human has already proven he was nothing like the rest.

Just what was up with this sad hatchling?

He was watching him the entire time he ate. The dragon couldn't tell what he was thinking but he didn't think that he could stand those eyes for much longer. He had to do something about them. Why? Why? Why was the child so down when he looked at him? It drove him mad! It was bothering him so intensely, he started to believe he must have put a spell on him. Thinking about that, he failed to spot the hidden serpent. _He was trying to poison him!_

That whole issue was resolved by the human, surprisingly. The boy didn't hesitate to… _touch_ the cursed thing and throw it away. The dragons should have marched up to it and scorch it till there was nothing left but even touched by it, he couldn't ignore good food. He ended up eating everything but the Viking was not leaving like he was expecting.

Good for him then. He at least had a chance to make it up to him. Perhaps if he would give him an offering, the hatchling would cheer up a bit. He was careful in his approach; he didn't want the little thing to bolt on him. He was very brave to confront the sea serpent and he didn't hesitate to come and look for the problem for him, but he still didn't want to risk any sudden moves.

Finally, they were face to face. The dragon threw up part of a fish, right in his lap. He just had to wait now. It couldn't be helped; humans weren't always the smartest to be honest. The child needed him to say it at least three times before he understood what he wanted him to do. It was a miracle his species was still going after all those cycles.

In the end, the child did it. It was with a lot of coughing and hacking and some weird noises but he finally bit down and enjoyed his offering. And he was doing something with his face. It was probably a human thing but the Dark-Scale figured he could at least show him the courtesy of reciprocating the gesture. It was so unusual and it stretched his snout in ways he had never knew were possible. He had to focus to maintain the look.

The hatchling tried to touch him while he was distracted. And _ew_, it was the eel hand too! He growled instinctively and leaped away from him. So much for courtesy apparently. He ignored him as he left and then felt bad. Maybe the touching was part of the ritual and he just insulted him.

Moon, humans were complicated…

But he stayed the night. If the human had come so many days in a row, then he was sure that he would come again in the morning. It took all of his focus to not fly off, especially when he still heard _her_ call in his mind. He couldn't risk being drawn back yet. He had to figure this out first.

It was slightly after the Fire had risen from the water when he heard dragging feet and grunts coming down the small rocky passageway. The child was carrying another container with fish, and this time they were fresh. He hardly stopped himself from dropping and pouncing on the thing to rip it apart and reveal the yummy food hidden inside.

The human was talking to him but the dragon only cared about what he held in that too big basket. He lifted the lid and pushed it with his foot, the fish spilling deliciously over the ground. The Dark-Scale didn't waste a moment. He was devouring everything, this time careful that no stupid sea serpent was snuck there.

He was conflicted. Should he let the human touch him now? He had proven himself plenty. Bringing food for days while the only thing he wanted was to lay a hand on him? What was the worst that could happen? He was unarmed, he made sure to teach him that in the beginning and to be fair, the Dark-Scale was also curious how the human skin felt like.

When he was done he regarded him. Like yesterday, the young Viking had sat down. Unlike yesterday, he had that odd object in his hand and he was very focused on it, swiping a stick over it over and over again. Was that human custom as well? He approached on light feet until he was capable of seeing behind his shoulder. The human paused but his movement resumed shortly. The dragon followed his hand for a while, noticing the delicate tracks the stick left behind on the yellow surface.

He could do that too! The hatchling had accepted his offering the other day, and he made an effort to not insult him and throw up the food. Maybe he should return the favor.

The Dark-Scale looked around the clearing. He spotted a small sapling near the forested part of the cove and ambled towards it. Pulling it out of the ground with his teeth was tricky as he couldn't risk biting into it. He needed something long like that stick the child held. He pulled it free and stood on his back legs, tip dangling on the ground. With steady steps he walked back to the human, tip dragging a path on the floor. He quickly glanced at him. He wouldn't lie, that awe-struck expression was satisfying.

He didn't have something to draw on, but he had the ground and he had a tree. So, he got to work. He weaved and ducked, pushing the wood deeper and then softer like a feather. He forgot how many times he spun around the human, too preoccupied with his piece. He looked back at him, now and then. The child was standing up, looking around him confused. Good, the Dark-Scale wasn't finished yet.

When he felt it was perfect, he spat out the sapling. He sat down, nodded to himself and then watched the human who ended up trapped in the middle of his piece. He looked up from the ground to the dragon and back again. The Dark-Scale waited patiently. Finally, he lifted one foot… and stepped on the line.

He was growling before he realized what he was doing.

The human took the foot off.

He stopped. Oh, good, he was underst –

He put his foot back on the line.

The dragon growled again, this time showing teeth.

The human stepped away and smirked. He then _slowly_ put his foot down.

The Dark-Scale was getting irritated. The child was doing it intentionally. The next time he was trampling over his masterpiece, he was jumping on him. He would get a quick glimpse of how dragon scales felt like while he was roaring in his –

The human stepped _over_ the line.

He felt his frills raise in interest. Oh…

Carefully, the child maneuvered around the crisscrossing lines, arms held aloof at his sides and eyes tracking every spot of untarnished ground where it was safe to walk on. The dragon found himself following him, slowly walking around the drawing to where the human would escape over the last line. He was so small and skinny but he could smell the joy emanating from the child at the game they unwittingly created.

He stopped and waited. The boy spun one last time before he crossed the edge and was face to face with him. It wasn't the first time they got so close to each to other, but somehow, this was the first time it felt… special. Suddenly, the though of the human touching him wasn't that bad. Why did he even have reservations about this?

It was with clarity that he leaned forward, eyes never leaving those familiar, similar greens. He had an odd sensation, like time was gone and they were somewhere else, in a white space, a different life…

He was content. It was _right_.

When the small palm fell upon his nose it was like he was bathed in the purest light. The Queen was gone. His head was clear. His human was finally happy.

/\\\\\

Happy was an understatement. Hiccup was absolutely floating with joy. After so long, after so many close calls, they were here. He felt the air leave his lungs in the most satisfying exhale in a long time. Like he was finally allowed to breathe after struggling to do so his whole life. He opened his eyes. As if he knew, Toothless did as well.

Hiccup couldn't help the dopey smile. Laughter bubbled out of its own volition and Toothless pulled back his lips in an awkward gummy smile. The next thing he knew, he was on his back, the black dragon nuzzling into his stomach or licking his face. Hiccup settled on hanging around for a while. His heart was light and it seemed like the sun was brighter than it had ever been since returning from watching their future.


End file.
